In South Island

We left a very wet and windy Wellington for a good three hour crossing to Picton in the Marlborough Sounds, South Island. The Cook Straight wasn't rough, thankfully (it has a bit of a reputation) and the last couple of hours are spectacular as the large ferry threads its way into some narrow and dramatic sounds.

After a night in Picton we headed west to a beautiful campsite called Mistletoe Bay on the edge of the much-tramped Queen Charlotte Track. The track takes several days to complete so we just did a long day (about 7 hours' walking) to enjoy the views:

The following day (yesterday) we took things a bit easier and launched the inflatable kayak into the bay for a gentle paddle:

It was really good to be able to take a break from the driving so we stayed at the camp for 3 nights and enjoyed meeting a family from Helston, Cornwall. Chris and Melaine have taken their sons Devon and Mackensie on a wonderful trip through Australia and New Zealand and, like the boat kids we've met on our voyage, the boys are thriving on the experience.

We're currently in Nelson (using the wifi in the public library) and, after replenishing the food supplies, we'll head up to the Abel-Tasman national park for a few days. There's another famous walking trail there so whilst the weather's good we'll do some more tramping, as it's known in these parts.