Wellington to Nelson via (The Interislander ferry, Picton, The Marlborough Sounds, Blenheim and Renwick) 3rd April to 6th April

As we embarked on to the ferry we parked up the camper and made our way upstairs to relax for the journey, as we sat back and organized ourselves it was not long before we were steam rolling towards the south island. As the south island came in to view the captain came on to the speaker and advised us of some significant dolphin activity to our right, as we glanced over we could not believe our eyes, there were hundreds of dolphins splashing about in the water, some coming right up to the boat but failing for a change to keep up, in the distance there was more we estimated that there were over 300 dolphins in plain view, it really was a spectacular sight to see, unfortunately we forgot about taking a photo for a change, as we were mesmerized by the amount there were, a sight I had never seen before. After the fun with the dolphins we cruised into the south island through the Marlborough sounds, a region of hills and valleys that was flooded after the last ice age. As the sun beamed down it was not long before we were docking in Picton, we tumbled down to the car deck and drove off in the blink of an eye, as we headed for Picton centre we had the essentials to do before we made our way into the hills, a gas refill to cook on and diesel to drive with, after the money was spent we made our way in to the sounds.

The region is really popular for trampers and that was our plan for tomorrow, as we wiggled our way into the deep gorges and valley, we were swamped with beautiful views of lush green forest, transparent blue waters and peaks of land popping out of the water at every angle. The 40km drive to Kenepuru Head Doc site was a tricky one, Rachel really felt it especially after the ferry ride, her face green, her mood tense, I decided that to keep quiet and drive may be the better option. As we eventually rolled into the camp site we sat back in the sun and laid by the sea edge, what was once an area covered in land was now awash with salty water and marine life. I hung my legs over the edge where a tree once stood and wrote the blog with the sun on my back. Rachel meanwhile recovered from her travel sickness with a peaceful afternoons nap with the humming of birds. After a couple of hours Rachel awoke, the tide had pulled completely out and the sun had started to fall behind the towering hills, with little hesitation I headed inside to start on dinner, Rachel got active and headed down to the shore for a spot of fishing, no need to describe anymore, fishless. After a spectacularly good chili con carne we relaxed for the evening before our hike tomorrow, and a hike it would be.

As the sun rose again over the hills the scene was perfect for walking, not a cloud in the sky, the trees rustled gently in the wind whilst the birds sung there morning songs. I headed down to the tap to fill up the water where I was joined by what we think was a Weake, a type of bird, looks a bit like a kiwi, minus the long beak but were not entirely sure. After we hit the road and made the short 10km journey to an entrance at camp bay to the Queen Charlotte Walking Track. A popular track in New Zealand which stretches along gorgeous coast lines entwined with rainforest and crystal clear waters. As we set off our original plan was to walk to Endeavor Inlet a 12km walk from camp bay in total a 24km return walk, as we strapped on our boots we locked up and made our way on to the track, as we walked up and around the coast line we came across some gorgeous views, ones which left the imagination wondering what it would have been like before the valleys were flooded. As we made a few tracks more inland we came across a number of New Zealand's emblem, the silver birch it covered the hill side in places and was even more pretty when the sun reflected on it. As the legs started to feel the first bit of strain we stopped off after around 2 hours of walking, we entered a little cove on the water's edge where I was very tempted to pick up some muscles for dinner, there was hundreds of them on the shore line all attached to the rocks, if I knew how to cook them properly without causing another Paris incident then I would but I thought better safe than sorry. As we set off again the track becoming more filled with Weakes at every corner, curious to see who was trampling past they always peered through the bush we eventually made it out to endeavor inlet after a mere 3 hours of walking. As we stopped for lunch we discussed where we would head, either straight back the way we came or follow the track round to complete a loop. We choose the later, a mistake we shall not be making again. The loop track headed inland and up an extremely steep hill that peaked as high as any in the park. As we wandered past cows and donkeys that looked at us clearly thinking we were idiots we started our accent, we passed a number of mine shafts where coal used to be excavated. As the climb got steeper Rachel questioned whether it is a good idea to carry on, my legs were clearly holding firm, but her smaller brand were starting to struggle, "I said it will be worth it when we get there…eventually." The climb seemed to last for ages, over an hour and a half to be exact, both our legs were screaming at us, the air seemed to get colder but the sun got hotter, Rachel was far from impressed and I was starting to think the same. Eventually we arrived at the summit, where we hoped for a road to lead us back towards camp, we found nothing a dead end, and a huge number of birds singing (laughing) in the trees. The view over the bay and out to sea was spectacular, the water was crystal, and the hills around were an artist's wash of green. As we looked at each other we knew what we had to do, the track had vanished, we had no choice but to go back the way we came. The time it had taken us in total was 4.5 hours the time was 14.30, we had about 5 hours of daylight left. The next 5 hours were hell that is all I can say, our legs ached with pain, my quads were on fire and poor Rachel, well she was almost collapsing with the pain.

After a grueling 5 hours of walking a further 15km at that we arrived back to the campervan around 19.00 at night, the sun had given us a slow decent and the temperature had held firm. As tears almost started to flow from Rachel the delight to see the camper was like winning a marathon. The only problem was we had to drive back to the camp sit and I could hardly move, the morning was going to be painful but the mammoth feast we would cook would aid our tenderness.

The next morning we both awoke to the howling of the wind, the weather had turned a nasty overnight and had left the wind for us in the morning, as we rolled over we both almost collapsed, our legs were in raw pain, we laughed at this point joking at what I had said just before we set off on the hike yesterday, "I have a feeling", "what do you mean" Rachel replied, "I have a feeling were going to learn a lesson today" Why I did not just listen to that thought after lunch we shall never know. After a slow start to the day mainly due to our tenderness we headed off back down the valleys and hills of which we came. We decided to head out towards the Marlborough Wine region of Blenheim. The drive was a slow one, the wind had calmed down to leave a clear blue sky above, we passed through the muscle capital of the world at Havelock before heading down into Renwick and Blenheim. Our first stop was an internet café where I spent most of the time watching the kids on Call of Duty; I thought to myself have I played any of these guys online, hmmm. Next and most important was the supermarket, we were out of supplies and needed to stock up, and that we did. Rachel I blasted, "How do you expect me to fit in our fridge, 1100g of mince, 16 sausages, 700g of chicken and 2 litres of milk?" can you imagine a fridge no bigger than a microwave to fit all that in, well I did, and I got that famous response, "told you so, Rachel is always right" I guess I have come to learn that a lesson for life. After we stocked up and enjoyed some fresh lunch we made our way on to Renwick, an area only a few km from Blenheim but pack filled with wine fields as far as the eye could see. We stopped off at a small winery offering free tasting; it would be rude not too we thought. It was a small business run by a couple, they had only been around for 4 years and only had one field, there wine though was delicious, although not available in the UK we shall savor the taste here. It had been a while since either of us had come close to alcohol so it was no wonder we were on our backs after a few sips, nothing new for my really. After a good 30 minutes talking to the owners and exploring the ways of wine making we invested in their cheapest bottle but a European favorite of Pinot Grigio, (Gibson Bridge 2008) I really could have gone for the Pinot Gris but the price said otherwise. After we departed we made a quick stop off for some fresh veg on the side of the road before heading for camp. We attempted and failed to find one close by but instead headed into a fully serviced Doc site at Pelorus Bridge. A hot shower only our second on since getting the camper, it was priceless believe me. We parked up on the river's edge, home of the sand flies of course but that did not matter, dropped everything and sat back for a relaxing evening.

Half way through the night our fridge decided to stop working, the battery was flat, might have been my fault I said, think I may have left your IPod on charge Rachel, her far from amusing look said it all. I climbed out of bed and started the engine, waking everyone else up in the process. As morning arrived and the clocks set to winter time we rolled off site and headed for Nelson. The days plan was to look around and hopefully meet with a Canadian friend of Andrea in the evening. As we parked up Rachel saw the highlight and I wandered through the streets. I kicked back and relaxed at the modern church overlooking the town, filled with history and gorgeous stain glass windows. After I headed to the botanical gardens where I relaxed with a few pages of my book. The day was glorious the sun was shining, after a while I decided to quench my thirst in one of the many café in Nelson centre, eventually I choose the Vic where I sat back with a Latte in one hand and book in other, the setting was perfect as I sat back and enjoyed the peacefulness so much of New Zealand has to offer. Once I met back with Rach we headed down to the botanical gardens once more where we drew up a plan of action for the next few days. As I waited to hear from Andrea's friend we cooked up a quick and easy stir fry. The sun had already gone the clock change even more apparent now than it was in the morning. As time went on with no call we decided to head in to Nelson to use the internet, I caught up with the parents while Rachel cruised on the net. As the evening started to pass we hit the road, as many a car headlight passed we seemed to be the only ones heading west. After around 80km we arrived at our stop for the night, a disused railway line at kawatiti, historic it may have been, an easy nights rest for us.