Today we caught the ferry to the south island. We were worried it might be rough as the crossing is notoriously rough and cyclone Wilma was forecast to hit the north at around midday but it couldn't have been calmer! The only real drama was that we had to park Lucy on the train deck - yes, the trains travel on the ferries here!

The crossing was really pretty, particularly the last hour or so when you travel through Marlborough Sounds, so we sat on the deck the whole time.

Once in the south we had a 4 hour drive to Takaka in Golden Bay, just north of the Abel Tasman Park. Once we found some fuel (phew) we set off driving through the Marlborough wine region and then up to Nelson. The beach in Nelson looked very appealing but we had to get to Takaka by 6.30 so no time to stop. Once past Nelson we drove up past Ruby Bay to Motueka and Kaiteriteri. Most people who visit the Abel Tasman park stay in one of these two towns but they are quite touristy so someone recommended we stay in Takaka in the north of the park. What they failed to mention is that Takaka is so quiet because you have to cross Takaka Hill. This isn't just a hill but a huge mountain which took about an hour to cross! It was the highest mountain we've driven over yet and a little scary. The view from the top would've been amazing if we'd dared to look!!

Eventually we arrived at our hostel which is lovely and very chilled. It seemed quite small at first but there are actually loads of people staying here! We're staying in a cabin in the garden which is quite funny. We cooked pasta for dinner which was great as we've eaten so much rich food lately, and polished off a bottle of red wine whilst talking to other guests in the garden. Finally went to bed at about 11!