19/02/09: Caught bus at 7 to the ferry port!! Nice, big boat. We had breakfast in cafe then chilled in the lounge and had a doze. We went up on deck as we were coming into Picton and saw the stunning scenery- crystal clear waters and lush green mountains everywhere! We boarded a new bus with mainly new people in Picton and on the way to Nelson we stopped at a winery in the middle of miles of vineyards. They were offering wine tasting but- sorry mum- i didnt participate- lil alex would have done u proud tho!! Then we drove around a lot of very windy mountains and gorgeous views to Nelson! We are in a very posh hostel tonight!! Lil alex participated in free beer tasting and then we had a gorgeous dinner cooked for us. The town is not what I expected- it is a lot quieter and smaller and there is not the built up, lively, businessy, cosmopolitan feel that was in Wellington- this is more old style England and is very quiet. Got 3 nights here! We chilled in hostel bar and had one cider- but more expensive than other hostels so only had 1. Then went to bed quite early.

20/02/09: Had a bit of a lie-in then got ready and headed out to explore the town- mooched around the shops- good shops but resisted spending money- then went to a couple of nice gardens. Then saw the ring from lord of the rings in a jewellers here. We called at supermarket- lil alex has started on the pot noodle diet but im too concerned about getting at least a couple of fruit and veg! It rained all morning- so miserable. Then we went on walk to the centre of NZ- a point on top of a hill with good views! Which was quite nice. But to be honest I'm quite disappointed with Nelson- there isnt much to do activity-wise and it is less lively and less back-packer friendly than everywhere else. We want to go to Abel Tasman national Park but there is no point if the weather is rubbish like this and also it is really expensive!! We had a drink at a bar in town and then ended up at the cinema to see 'Valkyerie' with Tom Cruise last night- it was quite good!!

21/02/09: We had a bit of a lie-in and then headed out to the local market in town- it was interesting and had some really cool arty stuff and nice fruit n veg! Luckily the weather is totally different today- probably the hottest and sunniest day so far! So we headed to the park to chill with some cold drinks and strawberries. There was a cricket match going on so I explained all the rules and lingo to lil alex (dad would b sooo impressed) and we laid in the sun watching some cricket and reading! We've had different people in our hostel room every night and tonights people have just arrived- i'm in a room with 6 guys and me!! It is not nice- guys really do smell and they make a bad mess and you should see what they've done to bathroom!! YUCK!! No dad we havent seen Claires house- I wouldnt know what it looked like if we passed it! Grabbed some chips for tea and then just chilled at hostel all night. The guys in our room went out late and then when we were in bed one of them brought a girl back- i've never heard anything like it- it was sooooo gross!! Who would do that!??? So i laid with my finger in my ear for a while til they left but then they all come back about 4 and were chatting loudly in our room about their conquests and all the drink and drugs they'd had- how rude!!! So i didnt sleep very well!