The day started rainy so we decided to forgo the motorhome show at the Holiday Park. Fortunately, we saw most of the vehicles last evening and there weren't many large motorhomes. Campgrounds are plentiful in NZ, but the campsites are not equipped with "full hookups." And campervans are more suited to the narrow winding roads. Partway between Nelson and Picton, we stopped at the scenic reserve of Pelorus Bridge for lunch. The rain had almost stopped so w...

On our way to Nelson, we stopped by a recreation area called Rabbit Island. It has a wonderful sandy beach. We saw a couple baiting their “Seahorse” which is a fishing device. It has a propeller driven torpedo which takes a long fishing line with many baited hooks 2km out into the sea. After an hour they will retrieve the line and expect to catch many snapper. Some fishermen in NZ use a kite to take a similar line out to the sea.Then we stopped at the...

Our packs were packed and lunches prepared. We met the bus at 8 AM for our trip to Kaiteriteri and our trip into Abel Tasman National Park. Abel Tasman’s track requires 4 days to hike, but we were able to do just a section of it by taking a tour with Sea Shuttles that provides a water taxi service. The bus transported us to Kaiteriteri which is a beautiful beach 13km from Motueka. The beach has golden sand and crystal clear blue water, which is typical of t...

The road north seemed to be the “long and winding road” without much change in scenery. We passed through some small villages. In the town where we stopped for a picnic lunch, we saw an unusual sign so I took Bob’s picture next to it. When we stopped at another town to have coffee, I tried to purchase some Benadryl at the local grocery for Bob’s many sandfly bites, but I was told it was illegal for them to sell it. I guess it requires a pr...

We drove through mountains and along the sea today. Our first stop was at the Bushman's Centre which has a sculpture honoring the ubiquitous sandfly. They are nasty little biting, bloodsucking insects which leave a very itchy welt on the skin. We've both been bitten, but Bob has really been tormented by them. Luckily we brought along lots of repellent and anti-itch ointment.We stopped in Ross to investigate the gold mining historical exhibits there and co...