I think that moving between islands in New Zealand should be done the classic way, by ferry. We didn't even look in to flights because why not take the ferry? (I'm sure there are many good reasons based on how you are planning your trip, but it worked for us and seems pretty classic! It's an experience right?)
So we booked our tickets in Wellington and $60 NZD later were on our way to the south island! We got on board and quickly settled into a quiet corner to read. (I have read so much on this trip! I love it! I'm on the 4th book in the Song of Ice and Fire series! I don't know what I'll do when I finish the 5th....but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.)
The ride was nice. Not much to say except that the boat was nice and I didn't get sick. (If you know me well you know that my motion sickness has always been.....an obstacle. I haven't gotten sick once on this trip! Other than ten minutes on the Fiji day cruise where I didn't feel so hot, but it passed. Let's keep it that way!)
We were now in Picton! So exciting because my family is from Picton.......Ontario! Ha I fooled you for a minute, you totally thought I was from New Zealand! Anyway, we stayed at this cute hostel called Tombstone (it was across from a cemetery) that had nice beds, free wifi and breakfast, a hot tub, a sauna, and nice people!
Picton really was pretty. There was a lot to do but we went for a "tramp", and enjoyed some meat pie on the beach. We really are embracing this Kiwi culture! From Picton we did a lot of planning. We made arrangements to get a campervan, kayak Abel Tasman, see as much of the south as we could, and even swim with seals! Booking busses in New Zealand has been awful though! They're so darned expensive and inconvenient to travel by. It's actually more worthwhile to get a campervan for price, convenience, and comfort. We didn't have one yet though so we bussed from Picton to Nelson.
We didn't see a lot of Nelson because of bad timing. We did a day trip to Abel Tasman though! Abel Tasman is a coastal national park in the south island. It is stunning and known for just that. It has the bluest water and most beautiful gold sand! There are a lot of trips you can do in Abel Tasman, and one day I want to come back and do more. Danielle and I agreed that for now a day trip would suffice. We kayaked out in a tandem sea kayak with a guide who pointed out seal colonies and stopped for hot chocolate. Then we left our kayaks with the guide and hiked back for 4 hours. We stopped at a few beaches and waterfall along the way. It was the most beautiful sunny day as well! I couldn't believe our luck!
From Nelson we had a full day bus journey to Christchurch where we were picking up the campervan! Have I mentioned that the bus drivers in New Zealand are very talkative? All our bus rides have included a commentary and history of the region, which is interesting to us tourists but I can't imagine how the bus regulars must feel listening to that over and over again. Well either way, we never have to ride a bus in New Zealand again because we have the campervan! His name is Eggie and he is old and squeaky. We are currently parked by the ocean near Kaikoura watching the sunset. I know, such a rough life!
