At last we were on the ferry, bound for new and
exciting lands – New Zealand’s
South Island to be precise. It wasn’t long before Rachel got her first
glimpse of the Mainland – a rough, magical looking coastline with lush,
tree-covered slopes. Luckily the sea was
fairly calm for the crossing and we reached Picton with our breakfast still
safely in our tummys. With no deadlines
to meet now, we found a spot of grass by the sea for a picnic before heading
off on mountain bikes to explore nearby tracks.
We both managed to wipe out on bumpy or muddy sections of track, but eventually
made it to Snout Head. Rachel was in
awe of the beauty of the expansive views – the crystal clear waters just below
us, stretching away to the deceptively distant shores of the Queen Charlotte
Sounds. Definitely too far (and too cold) to
swim! The mussels growing nearby were
very tempting, but they were saved by our fear of the cold water.
The following day we were heading south, maybe
to Kaikoura? Our first stop was not far
down the road at an appealing bakery, where we stocked up on essentials –
biscuits, more biscuits and a bit of bread too.
We managed to bypass the famous Marlborough
vineyards, with their rows of autumnal leaves, hoping to have time for them on
our return trip north.
Soon we were within sight of the Pacific Ocean and crossing rivers flowing east to meet
it. A little further south, the road
seemed to be cut into the side of coastal cliffs and it wound its way around
bays and headlands where the only residents are the content-looking seals. We found a couple more seals snoozing near
Kaikoura too and I tried to sneak up on one of them, but not within range of
his sharp teeth. We also found a
beautiful little spot for a picnic beneath a Pohutukawa tree by the beach :)
As dusk crept in we were heading for the
mountain resort town of Hanmer Springs, lured
there by the promise of beautiful hot
springs. We
didn’t count on it being school holidays though, which meant the pools were not
as peaceful as we’d hoped, but still a great way to relax after a long day in
the car :)
I spent the next day exploring trails through
the extensive forests surrounding the township; alone with my mountain bike and
then walking with Rachel. We were amazed
by the beauty of the forests in their autumn splendour and felt as if we had
stumbled into some fairytale forest and might meet Little Red Riding Hood just
around a corner, chatting to a couple of pixies. I think we probably would’ve if we’d tried
some of the funky-looking mushrooms growing there!!??
