Our time in the South Island is coming to a close and it's hard to believe that we are half way through our total trip.

We made a short journey of about 110k today to our final campsite just outside Picton where we will spend two nights before catching the ferry over to the North Island. We had planned to meet up with our friends Gordon and Karen here but unfortunately they have had to return to the UK due to a family emergency and our thoughts are with them today.

Although it is the 20th with us here it is the 19th in Mexico due to the time difference and we were able to FaceTime Adam and Laura this morning who are on holiday themselves celebrating Adam's 30th birthday today. Happy Birthday Adam!

During our time here we have driven approximately 3,100k and although the roads have, on occasion, been challenging there has been very little traffic which has been a real bonus.

Looking back over our time in the South we have particularly observed:

Caravans - mostly old with glass windows but still looking good and being enjoyed by families on holiday.

Beautiful gardens, a riot of colour with many flowers we recognise.

High winds every afternoon, often creating lots of dust.

Many of the hedgerows are ablaze with Lupins, so pretty.

It always takes longer than expected to get from A to B as roads wind up and down mountains.

Very friendly people - always ready for a chat.

lots of French tourists.

Can't wait to see what the next half of our journey brings!