A very early start was needed to get to the ferry terminal in time and drop the car off before check-in. We were running a little late but it seemed everyone else was too. The forecast was for some strong southerlies and quite a swell so we all took some sea-sickness prevention prior to the trip.

I am glad I did, although the trip was not as rough as feared. No-one felt sick at all, which was good. The ferry trip took about 3 ½ hours, with the first bit being the roughest. It was good to watch the hills and houses of Wellington fade into the background and then really not all that long in the open sea, before the cliffs and bays of the north-eastern tip of tip of the south island.

The ferry was huge, taking up to 1000 passengers. A lot of people had cars and motorhomes they were driving across. We met an older woman who was travelling by herself for 3 ½ months and had already completed 6 weeks of her holiday. I think she would have been in her 70s and had to walk with a stick, and told me she couldn’t even manage to transfer all her luggage by herself. Quite awe-inspiring that she was still up for the adventure despite some difficulty. We lost track of her after boarding as we all rushed up to the top deck with the outside observation area. It was lovely and fresh up there and once the really strong breezes hit, most people disappeared, only to come back in force once we were in calmer waters.

There was a slight issue with the car we collected making a strange noise. The car hire guy assured us it was normal for the car and off we set. The countryside here looks much drier than the north island, with very brown grass on the hills around Picton. This surprised us as we thought the south island was wetter than the north. Maybe just this area is dried out like this. There were quite a few vineyards and wineries, some with the huge tall hedges as wind breaks. We drove to Nelson, where we stopped for shopping. Colin went grocery shopping while the kids and I went looking for some yarn with possum fur in it. I had found out Spotlight carried a range. Anyone who has seen my craft room will know I don’t need any more yarn, but I couldn’t resist getting some real NZ yarn with merino and possum in the mix.  

Our accommodation was only 45 minutes up the road in Motueka. A lovely unit, close to town. Everyone is exhausted after our early start, and needing another early night. Tomorrow we have planned a water taxi ride into the Abel Tasman National Park for a big walk.