Half time

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Hi everyone,

We arrived in Picton yesterday from North Island ... we had a really great crossing. Calm sea and sunshine so we were up on deck all the time. The crossing takes about 3 hours in all and we were in sight of land the whole time. The crossing is through 'The Sounds' which are mountains coming down into the sea ... bit like the highlands on sea!! Breathtaking scenery.

Just to cheer you all up, the weather has been a mixed bag since we last wrote ... rain, sun, hot and cold winds! Sometimes it felt like all four at once.
The day we left Ohope was raining but John still surfed ... good wet suit.

We travelled from there to Gisborne (wet) onto Napier (sunny) where we found a great beech miles from anywhere and did some wine tasting (what else did you expect from me) before returning to our camp site.

Masterton was our next stop on on way to Wellington for the ferry. Now we felt sure that it was Sunday, we were certain it was Sunday, but no ...... it was Saturday and we suddenley found ourselves with a day to kill :-) We are obviously not safe to be out and abroad on our own. Masterton is not the mosy beautiful of places, but once again we found a couple of little beaches off the beaten track and one was especially pretty but a cold wind kept us out of the sea.

I'll sign off now so John can do his bit, so loads of love to you all xxxx

Bonjour Darlings - my turn,
Re gaining a day (above). Do you think wine-tasting had anything to do with it? I rest my case m'lud.
Chris told us that the kiwis have a sense of humour, and we experienced this when we stopped at some (more) hotm springs to have a little walk. There were several up for grabs and we chose a little 20 minute stroll. Sarah didn't bother with her walking shoes (specially bought for moments like this). Off we went into the jungle. An hour later we were somewhat lost although following nice clear orange triangular signs, and we were still not half way so we retraced our steps with S slithering and sliding all the way in her high heels. A machete would have come in very handy. As we burst out of the jungle into civilisation the vultures circling above looked most disappointed.

Goodbye from here. Hope the country is still surviving without me. Lots of Lovexxxxx

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