Monday 25th June 2007

Our alarm went off at 6am this morning - giving us plenty of time to get ready and get to the South Island ferry by 7.25am at the latest...

We finally got to the port at about 7.50am! We checked the van in and drove on. We locked the doors and went up stairs. I'd not bothered to take a sea-sickness tablet (even though there is some in the van)... Oooopps! Up on the higher decks it was really nice because we were able to watch the sunrise over the water.

I was starting to realise not taking a tablet was a mistake when it was announced over the loud-speaker that the conditions were 'less than favorable' and we were told to locate our nearest sick-bags.

The rest of the ride to the South Island is a bit of a blur. I can remember being sick at one point and then taking about 5 minutes to get back to my seat because every few steps the boat would rock and I was sent backwards. When I finally got there I slept for the rest of the journey. Even Nikki said that she felt sick, so it must've been bad - she usually loves all the bobbing about.

We drove off the ferry at about 12pm into Picton. We were planning on stopping here for some lunch, but it was really quiet. There weren't many shops - and half of them were closed. So we headed on in the direction of Blenheim. When we got there we got out of the van and it was absolutely freezing! We had a wander around the shops and then went into a pub for some lunch and a drink.

After leaving Blenheim, we drove over to the West coast, to a place called Westport. The drive was spectacular! One minute we were passing alongside hill after hill of lush green grass and trees, the next we turned the corner and we were at the foot of snow-capped mountains. After a while we pulled in alongside Lake Rotoiti and when we got out of the van the floor was covered in snow. As much as I wanted to, I resisted throwing any at Nikki (wimp).

The remainder of the drive to Westport was equally as stunning. We were driving for nearly 2 hours and I bet we only seen 4 or 5 cars in that whole time - so we could drive as slowly as we liked admiring the view. We drove through the Victoria Forest and alongside the Kahurangi National Park, which took us way up into the hills - so high that at points we were driving above the clouds in the valleys below! We got to Westport when it was dark so we found a camp and settled in for the night.

Better get out the thermal underwear - it's gonna be a cold one!