South island, here we come.

 Our van was packed, including the winter woolies, and we were heading south.  Just a short 10 day trip, to visit my son Michael and celebrate his 60th birthday with him.

We left home on a chilly Tuesday morning, driving along Transmission Highway to arrive at the Bluebridge Ferry Terminal in good time.  Handing the paper work over to the girl in the kiosk, she handed over the boarding pass, and asked us, could we  manage 5 flights of stairs, or she could park us close to the lifts.   We must have been really looking our age, we thought, as we replied, close to the lifts please.  We were guided into the correct line, and sat and waited till the ship berthed.  We were travelling on Cook Strait Feronia.

Here she is, coming into berth

We waited patiently while the northern bound travelers disembarked, then the trucks drove on board.  Finally cars, campervans, our caravan and a couple of motorbikes were waved on board.  And yes, we were parked quite close to the lifts, thanks to the thoughtful check-in girl.

Gemma is hiding away in our van, no doubt wondering what on earth is going on

Everyone seems to make a bee-line to the cafe on these trips, including us.  It was a late lunch for us, so we purchased some sandwhiches, and a drink, sitting in the cafe for a while.  A little way into the trip,  the ship was starting to roll and we decided to leave the cafe and go and sit in the Quiet Room which we had spotted.  Oh dear me, just walking up the corridor was an effort, holding on to whatever was handy, as we tried to keep on our feet.  I'm sure we looked just like a couple of rather drunken OAPs as we stumbled about, it was not easy at all.  We curled up on a couch in the Quiet Room, waiting for the rolling ship to quieten down.  Eventually it did, and we went out on the deck as the ship glided through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds.

Gliding through the Sounds

We made good time, and arrived in Picton a little early.  Our first overnight stop in the South Island was just a short 8kms away at Koromiko.  There were only a couple of other vans in attendance, so there was plenty of room.  This is a lovely place, surrounded by beautiful mature Totara trees.  The custodian came to get our fees, and remembered us from our previous stay.  She used to have a Birman, so was particularly taken with Gemma.

We awoke to fog the next morning, no sign of the other two vans, they must have  left bright and early.

A foggy morning

After a leisurely breakfast there were just a few whisps of fog around, and we got ready to move on.

Overnight at Koromiko

Next stop, Kaikoura, we decided.  After a chilly night, the weather was lovely and getting warmer as we drove along.  We passed through Blenheim, and drove past many, many vineyards, this is certainly the area for fine New Zealand wines.  Oh look, there's some snow on the mountain tops, away in the distance, always a lovely sight to see.

There's snow in the distance

Driving along the coastline, we were looking for a nice place to pull off for a lunch break.  How about this, with a great view of sea.  It was such a pleasant place to relax and eat our sandwhiches, watching the waves rippling ashore, and smelling the salty sea air.

Not a bad spot to stop for lunch

We were only 20kms or so from Kaikoura so got on our way, and soon pulled into the Kaikoura NZMCA Park.

This camp consists of several bays, so after checking them out, decided on the lower one.  Not too full, so plenty of room again.  It was such a nice day we sat outside for a while, making the most of the warm South Island sunshine.  But once the sun started going down, we could tell we would be in for another chilly night.  Just as well we have an efficient diesel heater to keep us warm and toasty.

Staying at Kaikoura tonight.

Just staying the one night here, then moving on again in the morning.  Next stop, Christchurch.