We had an early start to the day to ensure we caught the ferry crossing at 9am. The crossing lasts three and a half hours crossing the Cook Strait from Wellington in the North Island to Picton in the South Island. The last hour is quite scenic as the ferry pushes down Queen Charlotte Sound and passes numerous secluded bays, coves and inlets.

I was lucky that one of dad's old rugby friends lives in Richmond that happened to be one of our scheduled stops for lunch and a supermarket run. I decided that we would take Rob up on the offer to stay in his flat. I loved the fact we had our own space to relax away from a hostel. Rob and I shared some stories and we watched a film with Daniel and Olivia his children.

In the morning we grabbed a lift into Nelson and wandered round the Saturday market admiring the cultural treasures for sale. From there we made sure we had plenty of time to catch the Kiwi Bus at 15.30 to continue onto Abel Tasman.