The next morning we are collected by the rural mailman who was taking us on a trip up the Wanganui valley. We basically accompanied him on his mail run, which in itself was pretty interesting (in particular the array of post boxes people had made - including a milk urn, a canoe and several fridges!!) but also gave us great views of the valley and the river. At Pipiriki he dropped us off to do a jet boat trip up the river to see the Bridge to Nowhere - a concrete bridge that was built in the 1930s for farmers that had been given land out there. When the government finally decided that the land wasn't worth farming the farmers were removed and there is now a concrete bridge in the middle of nowhere - hence the name! On the way back to Wanganui the postman showed us around a local nunery, a renovated flour mill and a Maori Marai. All very interesting with yet more amazing views. At the last minute we decide to drive all the way to Wellington that evening to give us more time to look around there before catching the ferry to the South Island. Fortunately the roads south were pretty good and not too windy! Have a good day wandering around Wellington (including a spot of shopping and internet!). Seems a nice city but a bit too windy! In the evening we meet up with Liesbeth, the dutch girl we met in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Have a nice meal and a few drinks before heading to an Irish Bar for a bit of dancing! Unfortunately we have an early start in the morning to catch the ferry from Wellington to Picton. Pretty good crossing and great views of the Marlborough Sounds as we came into Picton. Downside is, we lose our camera somewhere on the ferry, never to be found again...