the dirty south

Not really. The South Island has been pretty awesome minus one thing - sand flies. They're like mosquitoes but faster, they do more damage and they always get you at the beach when you're enjoying the sun and getting lost in how awesome everything looks and then before you know it, whammy - ten bites that itch like mad for a over a week.

Here's what has happened over the last couple days...

I caught the ferry to the South Island (Wellington to Picton).

north island in the proverbial review mirror

south island

south island

I noticed this guy on the top deck of the Ferry with me and had to grab a picture of him. He was sporting a NZ military jacket, I'm guessing it was issued to him back in the day. You can't see the front of the hat he's wearing but it had a giant USSR symbol on it. Did you know that NZ was once under Soviet rule? It wasn't? Weird. Anyway, the next best part is the cigarette, a nice addition to the ensemble. And finally, the binoculars. If I had to guess, those were issued by the Soviets and he was once NZ's finest submarine spotter. That's the story I made up and I'm sticking to it.

typical cliche ferry picture

A special note about the NZ Ferry. I had heard other travelers (mainly whiny Europeans) talk about how sea sick they got on it. I brushed it off because I'd been on ferries in Washington many times and figured Europeans hadn't been on very many boats. Turns out, Cooks Straight gets a little bumpier than the Puget Sound. I still didn't get sick, but the boat was pitching in the open sea enough to make me question if I was going to be able to hold it down. Touche, Europeans.

After I got into Picton, I headed West. I'd heard amazing things about the Golden Bay. I got half way out there before deciding to camp for the night in Nelson. I stopped in a visitor center is Nelson and saw amazing pictures of this place called Abel Tasman National Park. Turns out, its a great place to kayak and hike. You see a ton of wildlife and it's really amazing. I set up a water taxi to pick me up in  two days and it was going to drop me 30 km (~18 miles) up the coast in the park and I'd walk back in two days or so.

The day before Abel Tasman, I decided to go check out Nelson Lakes National Park.

it was more amazing than I was expecting

i hiked about 1/3 up the east side of the lake, 3 miles or so.

looking across to the west side of the lake. apparently you can climb that. if i get a chance to come back through, i'll give it go.

Chaz, a friend that I used to buy produce from at Frank's in Pike's Place Market everyday before work used to give me a hard time about "man-eating eels that they just found in water falls in NZ". Well, I found these hanging out under the dock in the lake and they were big enough to freak me out (see the duck in the upper left for proportion - i'm guessing they were about at least four feet long, some pushing six). A couple I was talking too that had done some scuba diving here said they've seen these guys tail scuba divers and nibble on the edge of fins or toes.

"sometimes, the eels eat the ducks."

had to stop for the view on the drive back

After a day at Nelson Lakes and packing for Abel Tasman, I stayed the night in Kaiteriteri. I had no idea it was going to be this gorgeous. I've only ever seen pictures of tropical beaches, never actually been to one. This was amazing.

i don't think birch trees exist in true tropical beach areas though.

Next up, Abel Tasman...

drop off point was Arawoa - there was nobody around and it was a pretty surreal feeling.

i missed the low tide crossing window so I had to forde the river but didn't loose any Oxen (Oregon Trail video game joke). the water was maybe 4ft high. i could have waited for low tide but didn't feel like it. i had to do the same think two more times before the end of the trip - bad timing or poor planning?

camp for the night - bark bay

i packed in some beverages - Tui is a locally brewed beer

10 sec timer and I got lucky.

the "cook set" i rented. the red bottle is filled with "ethanol spirits". you're supposed to pore a little in this cup and the fumes, or spirits I guess they should be called, are supposed to light for the fire. the quotes below are direct from the guy at the gear hire station with the water taxi company i registered with.
1. "Oh geez, I only rent that out about once a year."
2. "It works I swear, this is what they used to use up in the Himalayas."
3. "When you come back, ask about the deal we've got going on eyebrows."

that's the cooker, all set up and ready to go based on the 5 min tutorial i got before i left. i pored the ethanol spirits in that little cup in the middle. it never worked.

sunrise at bark bay. i only got this because bark bay was maybe the worst night of sleep i've ever gotten.

suspension bridge crossing - maybe 50 yards

view on the hike back. it was about 7 miles on day one and 12 miles on day two.

When I come back to vacation in NZ again some day, this will be on the list to do again. On the boat ride out they took us to seal colony where little seal pups swam right up to the boat. I'd probably kayak a stretch of the coastline too. There's also Arawoa Lodge, located deep in the National Park, you can hire a water taxi to run you out there and pick you up. From walking around the edge of the lodge, it looked very legitimate and really cool.

Next stop, Golden Bay