The South Island

February 6, 2014

On the Danish built ferry.  I'm sure it's safe!

Coming into Picton.

After two weeks on the North Island coming down along the West Coast, we have come across to New Zealand’s South Island.  It was a three-hour ferry trip on Tuesday, February 4th departing from Wellington and sailing across the Cook Strait entering the Queen Charlotte Sound on the South Island.  The Cook Strait has a reputation for being quite nasty, so we were prepared for the worst.  Thankfully, we had a smooth crossing arriving at the small coastal town of Picton on schedule and in tact. 

We left Picton in a hurry as we were on a mission that day.  The mission was to get to Christchurch as soon as possible so we could exchange Lucky for a new van.  Our Lucky 1, as she is now known, had a problem with the hot water heater, which meant we couldn’t take showers unless we were prepared to have a cold shower.  Well, you probably know us well enough by now to know that a cold shower just isn’t part of the program.  Lucky Rentals promised us a new van if we showed up to their depot in Christchurch before February 9^th after which time they wouldn’t have any more vehicles. 

The South Island landscape looks quite different from the North with the hills having been razed for sheep farming.  A little further down the coast we travelled through vast acreages of grapes.  I think they discovered that grapes bring in more revenue than sheep and the wine industry is alive and healthy in New Zealand. 

Christchurch is about a five-hour drive from Picton so that night, we stopped at a Freedom Camp.  This means there is no charge for camping (but also no facilities) … don’t you just love it!  We were between the road and rail line and the beach and a couple of times that night we were certain the train was going to come right through the van.

The next day we arrived to Christchurch and true to their word, Lucky gave us a new camper van.  We called this one Lucky the Gray because of its silver color and perhaps influenced a little by Gandalf in the movie LOTR.  Yes, we broke down and bought the series and are now watching it one more time.  There were just too many references to the movies in the pamphlets and brochures.  Between the sights and the movies we are now getting a full dose of hobbits and wizards.

After transferring our stuff and resettling into our new home, we set off to the Banks.  The French originally settled this incredibly picturesque area of Christchurch on the Pacific Ocean.  But alas, the British took over and all that is left of the French are a few street names and a random French flag. 

We spent the night in the quaint town of Akaroa intending to do a hike up the ridge in the morning.  But, as luck would have it, two large cruise ships arrived in the harbor Wednesday night and Thursday was Waitangi Day in New Zealand so the crowds were definitely at their peak.

View of the Banks - in the background you can see the cruise ships.

Waitangi Day is a major public holiday celebrating the signing of the treaty with the Maori’s.  We decided we should attend a Waitangi festival and we were recommended to go to Okains Bay.  There were canoe races, a traditional greeting ceremony and of course a feast. 

Welcoming ceremonies.

A dugout canoe.

Fierce Maori's.

It turned out there was a problem with the brakes on Lucky the Gray and it seemed to be getting worse, so back we went to the depot for a third exchange.  Now we’re driving Lucky 3.   

We’re heading to Mount Cook with some stops planned along the way.  There is more tramping to be done and mountains to see.