This morning we took the "Interislander" ferry to the North Island. We loaded the camper van for the 92 kilometer route through the Marlborough Sounds on the Cook Strait. It took 3 hours and it was like a tour. The ferry was very comfortable and we spent most of the trip out front to capture the beautiful views. We drove to Napier on Hawke's Bay. Thus far the North Island has beautiful tree and grass covered mountains, speckled with sheep. It does not have t...

This morning there was still a tsunami warning for NZ and it was recommended that no one go in the water or to the beach. We had planned to do another wine tour today anyway so it worked out. We understand that the North Island had a surge this morning but nothing more. We wanted to tour the Marlborough region because that is the wine we buy in the states. It's a very large region that stretches from Nelson over to Blenheim. The primary wine they produce is S...

This morning we began heading toward Picton. It was interesting to see the effect of the low tide. Many large lagoons empty of water. We stopped to buy fruit at a local roadside stand. The pears and apples are just being picked now. The Nashi pears are great. Unfortunately the kiwi fruit isn't ready for harvest for another 2 months. We had lunch at the "Boat Shed" in Nelson, recommended by other travelers, for excellent seafood. We had Oysters, mussels, cla...

We spent the day in Abel Tasman National Park. We started the morning with a 3 hour kayak trip on the southern stretches of the coast along beaches, caves and tidal lagoons. It was great to be out on the aqua blue water of the Tasman Sea. At noon we were taken by water taxi further down the beach to Bark Bay where we took a 2.5 hour hike back to Torrent Bay. It was pretty awesome with great views, lush forest and the Falls River swing bridge. Randy went for a ...

We left Greymouth this morning heading for the north end of the South island. We thought we had about a 4 hour drive and I assured Randy I thought we would only have one stop with a short hike. However......within 5 miles of Greymouth we had already stopped 3 times for photos. The coastal drive from Greymouth to Westport was spectacular. It certainly compares to the Great Ocean Road in AU or perhaps surpasses it. We stopped at the Punakaika Pancake Rocks whic...