As we will be on the move nearly every day for the next month, we shall just update the blog and photos every few days, and put the location of the main place we visited within that area.

We had an early start in Wellington the day we collected the van, and we had watched the New Zealand/ Italy game (what a result for NZ) with the family we were staying with at 2am, so we were very tired!They gave us a free upgrade of van, so we were given a 'Britz' instead of a 'Backpacker' (not sure if they do this to all British customers as a warning to other drivers!)but the good thing is that it is a Volkswagen. The van seems huge compared to our 1976 VW Bay back at home!We have a bathroom with a toilet and shower, a sink, fridge, hob, grill, microwave, and a huge bed/ seating area.

We took the 10.25am Interislander Ferry from Wellington (North Island) to Picton (South Island), across the Cook Strait.The journey took about 3 hours, and must be one of the most breath taking ferry journeys in the world.It was really cold out on deck, but the scenery was worth braving it out there.The ferry brings you through the Marlborough Sounds and there was much wildlife to see, including seals and an albatross.We spent a short time in Picton, mostly at the supermarket, and hardware store, collecting the supplies we needed for our camping trip.The people there were so friendly, as seem to be most Kiwi's.The shop assistant went to find boxes for me from out the back, as she was concerned about us trying to carry all our groceries in bags, and then she even carried one of our boxes of groceries over to the car park where we were parked across the road from the store!We did have a quick look at the harbour and at the nice park down there, but then decided to get on our way to our first campsite, as we were eager to unpack and get set up.It's so nice to know this is our home for the next 4 weeks and to be able to buy the foods that we want to cook.We were getting bored of eating out all the time!

We drove towards Havelock on the scenic route, which was great, but really hilly and twisty, so Graham's driving skills in a new vehicle were put straight to the test!We then took the SH6 and stopped at a place called Pelorus Bridge, about 18km west of Havelock.This campsite is a DOC (Department of Conservation) site, in the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve.DOC campsites are generally very cheap, or free, but do not have many facilities, however, this was one that did and we were the only ones there.It cost us $22 (about 10GBP) and we got electric hook up, free hot showers, washing machine and use of kitchen.They are so much better equipped for campers over here, as most campsites have communal cooking and socialising areas, so it's great for meeting people.(Not when you're the only ones there though!)

The next day we went on one of the walks, to the suspension bridge.It was such a lovely day so we decided to press on to Nelson so we could spend some time looking around the town.It's a really nice place with quite a lot of shops and we walked up the hill to the Cathedral to take a look at the view.We then found that the Cathedral was open all day, every day, so had a look around.It's great that they can just leave the church open for people to go in, without having to supervise.Next we continued along SH6 to Ruby Bay, to a campsite which was recommended to us.It was called McKee Memorial Reserve and was right on the side of the beach/sea.There were a handful of other campers, but no sign of a warden.We found a great spot, where we had a fantastic view of the sea from our window, so pulled up then went for a walk along the beach.The campsite was much more basic than the last, with just toilets and cold showers (no electric hook up) but they did have areas for you to light fires, so we collected wood from the beach.As we were cooking dinner, the warden came along on his bike, and it cost us $12 for the night.He had been to England last year, and to Spurn Point, so we had a bit of a chat with him, then after dinner Graham got the fire going.This was great, as it was really chilly not having electric hook up as our heaters and hot water won't work without it.Luckily the hire place had given us an extra duvet, so we were ok in the night, and our cooker is gas.Whilst sitting around the fire another camper (Bill) came along to chat to us and gave us some tips on where to visit.He was travelling with a tent on a scooter, so I really shouldn't complain about the cold in our van!

The next morning we had planned to drive up the Golden Bay so we could spend some time in the Abel Tasman National Park, but it was cold and raining and the campsite up there had no electric.I was feeling particularly cold after my freezing cold shower, and did not fancy walking around the national park in the rain if I could not dry off and have a hot shower afterwards.So, we decided to miss that out and head down to the Nelson Lakes National Park instead.On the way we passed through a snow shower, and past some fantastic mountain ranges.We took the SH6, then the SH63 to St Arnaud, where we camped at Kerr Bay campsite.The campsite is right next to Lake Rotoiti and has lots of fantastic walks to choose from.We did the Loop walk, and then walked along the lake/bay too.Some of the facilities at the campsite have been closed for winter, but it is cheaper due to this and there is no permanent warden at this time of year, so there is an honesty box system.As we were doing the walk we started to warm up quite a lot, and did consider going in the lake for a swim, but we soon changed our minds when we felt how cold it was!

Maggie X