This may be a long one, got alot of catching up to do!!

Been on the south island for five days now, caught the ferry on monday and the journey wasn't as bad as expected!! We've camped all week so far because funds are running low all round!! Monday night we stayed at Lake Grassmere, a Doc site right by the beach but it was not very nice when we arrived, setting up the tent in rain and high winds was ínteresting'! But when we woke on Tuesday it was beautiful weather so we cooked porridge on the camp stove and ate our breakfast on the beach.  Amazing whilst we were sitting a massive flock of birds turned up, and I mean thousands and thousands of birds flew in and landed on the water near us, it took about 15mins from them all to land, it was immense!!!! Then there was the local seagulls diving for fish to entertain us as well, it was an impressive morning!  Tuesday night we stayed on a really nice campsite near Anakiwa so that we were ready to spend wed and thur walking part of the Queen Charlotte Track through the Queen Charlotte Sounds.  Wed morning we caught a water taxi from Anakiwa to Torea Bay (theres not really any other convienient way of getting round the sounds, roads barely exist) and set of on the track back.  The first hour of the track was a steep upwards and with heavy packs and the blazing sun it was seriously hard work!! but from then on the track took us round the hills instead of over them and we arrived about four hours later at the campsite to find that the army we're building a holiday park there!!! We found a bit of grass overlooking the bay and set up camp regardless, but the idealic location was slightly ruined by the banging and drilling of the building, and it didn't stop untill it got dark and began again at 730am!!!! The second day on the track was alot easier, the track was only gently sloped up and down the whole way and followed the coast line through the bush, we had sun and rain during the three and a half hours of the walk that day but the bush sheltered us from most of it!  and regardless of the weather the sea of the queen charlotte sounds stayed the most amazing crystal clear blue that i've seen so far...well worth the trek.