Monday 30th June
I had managed to get some sleep despite the fact that the room we were staying in was situated directly above the pub that was attached to the Nomads hostel, and the music was loud enough for me to hear it through my earphones. We had a particularly early start, and the guys from the bus and I jumped into a couple of taxis at 07.30 and headed to the ferry terminal, hoping that we would be able to cross the Cook Strait on the boat that would take us from the North to the South Island. The weather was much improved, and there was even a bit of sun, so it looked very promising. It turned out that we would leave as scheduled at 09.00. We bought a ticket for $45, checked in our bags, and boarded the ferry, relieved that we would be making progress and having avoided further delays.
The ferry was pretty large and seemed to be fairly packed with people. We found a seat, had some breakfast and chatted as we set sail. I bumped into Danika and Caitlin and spent the three hour trip enjoying the views, the best of which came once we arrived at the South Island. We docked at Picton at 12.00, disembarked quickly, and picked up our baggage at the other end. Danika and I were driving together to Nelson, so I said goodbye to the guys on the Magic Bus and waited until we were able to drive out of the port in our wonderful white Mazda rental car.
We stopped at a great bakery for food, and then set off in the direction of Nelson, taking the twisting scenic Queen Charlotte route. The scenery that stood before us as we rounded each corner was breathtaking, particularly the snow-capped mountain ranges that were laid out on the horizon. We stopped at a lookout overlooking the Queen Charlotte Range and I was delighted and surprised to find out that a Mount McMahon made up part of this particular range. So, I wasn't the first of the family to set foot on this land.
It took us about an hour and half to get to Nelson, and it was a pleasant drive. Nelson is a decent sized port town, and it didn't take us long to find our accommodation for the next two nights, at a hostel called 'The Bug'. We met the owner, a young English guy called Anthony, and checked into a dorm, and we were very happy with the place. It was smaller than the average hostel but it was modern, had good facilities – including free internet – and it had a nice friendly atmosphere.
We took a trip to the local supermarket, made some pasta for dinner, and then went for a walk to the Paradiso Hostel where some of the guys from the Magic Bus were staying. They must have been out – or hiding – when we called, so Danika and I took a walk around the town centre, and visited the impressive cathedral that sits on a hill overlooking the main street. We were both tired after a long enough day, so we crashed out in the comfortable dorms.
