I knew this day would have to come...yes, it's finally time to leave NZ and get back home. Our flight leaves in a few hours from Christchurch.
We finally got the bikes patched together in Omaru, but because of it we had a late start. I had hoped to see Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo, but that will have to be another time :) So Dave and I headed up the East Coast to the big city of Christchurch. Fun place, reminds me of San Fran without the hills, and I guess the Golden Gate:) Both of us seem to have come down with colds yesterday, so were more or less laid out. We'd go out a couple hours at a time, but then had to come back and rest. Bugger! There is so much to see, and on my birthday, too. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!! It's been a fantastic trip. When I get home, I'll post some of the pictures.
Before we left Omaru, I did visit one of the dental offices there. Whoa, it was not pretty. Very old and quite dirty. The building itself was quite on in years and the mold was very pungent. It actually burned my nose as the dentist and I were chatting. He must have been the only one there because the reception window went right into the treatment room. I did manage to sneak off a couple pics.
Yesterday was Earth Day here, where everyone goes off electricity for one hour. It was started in Australia i guess and has become quite the phenomenon! The city takes on a whole new life and everyone seemed straight into it. We also saw some street fares, the Christchurch Cathedral, and some other things. I would have like to have explored the suburbs a bit.
Last night, Dave and I did manage to get out and celebrate. Christchurch has so many great places, most of them have open mics or bands playing. Lots of Irish and Scottish bars. NZ also has the best Indian food I've ever had...who knew?
I'll have to finish this later....gotta go check out....
Ok, I'm back, but only for a bit...my shuttle leaves in 15 min..
After being in NZ, a few things become familiar to you:
1. Your loo/toilet has 2 buttons...one for #1 and one for #2 (water conservation)
2. Very environment conscious.
3. Kiwis are very into their coffee. The terms Long Black, Short Black and Flat White become part of your regular vocabulary
4. Pasties, pies and savoury muffins become part of a regular diet :)
5. Pump gas, then pay...this is true with some sale items. Kiwis give people the benefit of the doubt in regards to indiviual character. This is starting to change, though.
6. Rugby and Crickett are the sports in NZ
7. Making fun of Aussies is a pastime.
8. What the hell is marmite? :)
9. MMM....Whitebait!!
10. There are more cattle and sheep then people here.
11. Equally, there are more vet clinics then med/dent clinics (that I could tell), and they are nicer too
Ok, gang. See you back in the States. If you've been following along, thank you, I'm flattered.
Cheers for now,
john
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Business in the front, party in the back!
day 11 (i think:)
I've been losing track of time :) But we finally have internet access...!
I know there's some catching up to do, so I'll try and keep it brief up to now.....
I made back to the station last night alright. It was pretty late and no moon, the fog coming off the rivers made the ride back surreal looking...like riding through miniature clouds...
Nokomai was great, and I was sorry to leave. The beauty, the quiet, new friends, fantastic flyfishing on the Matura River that runs right through the station, great dinners, and the helicopter! The station has a rich history, originally founded by the Scotts during the Gold Rush in the mid 1800's. Many of the buildings on the station were built during that time and are still used. Fantastic structures with great stories (yes, the doors are way tiny). Dave and I came to visit the station through my aunt and uncle who visit there frequently and have friends there. My family loves to flyfish and this place is great for that. Over time, my family and the owners of the station have become good friends. Dave and I stayed longer than originally planned so this last bit may be a little more rushed. We need to be in Christchurch on the 29th as that is when our plane leaves.
Today, we left Nokomai on our way to Invercargill and Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but the South Island is quite rural, lots of farming and livestock. It's all rolling green hills and pasture, and a bit cooler ;) There is so much green here, I've never seen cattle or sheep rest from eating before, they'll be out laying in the sun taking a chewing break I guess... Also, other than birds of prey, there are no real predators out here...so if you're a little lower on the food chain, NZ is a great place to be!
Invercargill and Bluff were slightly disappointing. Most of the houses we say were not very well kept, and the people looked a little dodgy. Mullets are fairly common, I said to Dave today, "what in the achy breaky heart is that?!" Billy Ray Cyrus would be proud, straight away. I'm sure there are nicer parts than we saw, we passed through to the light house in Bluff for a few pics, and then headed North. So it is likely that our first impression of Invercargill/Bluff is incorrect. Incidently, Burt Munro of "The World's Fastest Indian" movie fame is from here. Good movie...
The second round of sadness today was heading north and along the East Coast. The entire journey we've been heading south, but going the opposite direction made the end seem closer. That's ok, all good times must end eventually. Mom told me that when I was five years old, it's amazing the things you remember.
Dunedin was the next big town. I could tell by the architecture that it is quite old, built in the mid 1800's. It's also a college town so there is a modern edge to it as well. Cool place and we would have liked to stay longer.
Just out north of Dunedin, my clutch cable broke! Bugger! I managed to ride the bike up to Omaru sans clutch, and then the electrics failed....things were really turning to poo! But once again, we found Omaru to be a great coastal town to hole up in while we patch the BMW back together. We had the part sent here overnight and will address the electrics in the morning. there's a local bike shop here so that's also good ;) Not to mention, we have internet access here! Result!!
Tomorrow, if we get the bike fixed early enough, hopefull we'll make Twizel. I was pushing for Kaikora, north of Christchurch for some whale watching. I guess Sperm Whales, of Moby Dick fame, are common there and which we don't have in our part of the hemisphere.
good night all,
John
I've been losing track of time :) But we finally have internet access...!
I know there's some catching up to do, so I'll try and keep it brief up to now.....
I made back to the station last night alright. It was pretty late and no moon, the fog coming off the rivers made the ride back surreal looking...like riding through miniature clouds...
Nokomai was great, and I was sorry to leave. The beauty, the quiet, new friends, fantastic flyfishing on the Matura River that runs right through the station, great dinners, and the helicopter! The station has a rich history, originally founded by the Scotts during the Gold Rush in the mid 1800's. Many of the buildings on the station were built during that time and are still used. Fantastic structures with great stories (yes, the doors are way tiny). Dave and I came to visit the station through my aunt and uncle who visit there frequently and have friends there. My family loves to flyfish and this place is great for that. Over time, my family and the owners of the station have become good friends. Dave and I stayed longer than originally planned so this last bit may be a little more rushed. We need to be in Christchurch on the 29th as that is when our plane leaves.
Today, we left Nokomai on our way to Invercargill and Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but the South Island is quite rural, lots of farming and livestock. It's all rolling green hills and pasture, and a bit cooler ;) There is so much green here, I've never seen cattle or sheep rest from eating before, they'll be out laying in the sun taking a chewing break I guess... Also, other than birds of prey, there are no real predators out here...so if you're a little lower on the food chain, NZ is a great place to be!
Invercargill and Bluff were slightly disappointing. Most of the houses we say were not very well kept, and the people looked a little dodgy. Mullets are fairly common, I said to Dave today, "what in the achy breaky heart is that?!" Billy Ray Cyrus would be proud, straight away. I'm sure there are nicer parts than we saw, we passed through to the light house in Bluff for a few pics, and then headed North. So it is likely that our first impression of Invercargill/Bluff is incorrect. Incidently, Burt Munro of "The World's Fastest Indian" movie fame is from here. Good movie...
The second round of sadness today was heading north and along the East Coast. The entire journey we've been heading south, but going the opposite direction made the end seem closer. That's ok, all good times must end eventually. Mom told me that when I was five years old, it's amazing the things you remember.
Dunedin was the next big town. I could tell by the architecture that it is quite old, built in the mid 1800's. It's also a college town so there is a modern edge to it as well. Cool place and we would have liked to stay longer.
Just out north of Dunedin, my clutch cable broke! Bugger! I managed to ride the bike up to Omaru sans clutch, and then the electrics failed....things were really turning to poo! But once again, we found Omaru to be a great coastal town to hole up in while we patch the BMW back together. We had the part sent here overnight and will address the electrics in the morning. there's a local bike shop here so that's also good ;) Not to mention, we have internet access here! Result!!
Tomorrow, if we get the bike fixed early enough, hopefull we'll make Twizel. I was pushing for Kaikora, north of Christchurch for some whale watching. I guess Sperm Whales, of Moby Dick fame, are common there and which we don't have in our part of the hemisphere.
good night all,
John
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Baaaa!
Hey everyone,
I know it's been a few days since I've blogged, but Dave and I have been away from civilization for a bit. We've been spending the last few days on a friend's sheep station 1hr south of Queenstown. If you look at a map, go south of Queenstown on Hwy 6, about 6km south of Athol (really small town, slightly bigger than a gas station), then go about 15 km inland...we're somewhere in there :)
I came into Queenstown this evening to run a couple of errands, it's late now and they are closing the Internet Cafe...will blog later...
The flyfishing has been fantastic and caught some gorgeous browns, saw the BIGGEST trout ever and am still trying to catch him :) Our friend took us in his helicopter to Milford Sound...landed on some faraway unreachable beach and took pics of pounding surf...Amazing dinners in an old goldmining house (more old stuff with stories that I like :)
got to get back to the station now, it's late...
good night,
john
I know it's been a few days since I've blogged, but Dave and I have been away from civilization for a bit. We've been spending the last few days on a friend's sheep station 1hr south of Queenstown. If you look at a map, go south of Queenstown on Hwy 6, about 6km south of Athol (really small town, slightly bigger than a gas station), then go about 15 km inland...we're somewhere in there :)
I came into Queenstown this evening to run a couple of errands, it's late now and they are closing the Internet Cafe...will blog later...
The flyfishing has been fantastic and caught some gorgeous browns, saw the BIGGEST trout ever and am still trying to catch him :) Our friend took us in his helicopter to Milford Sound...landed on some faraway unreachable beach and took pics of pounding surf...Amazing dinners in an old goldmining house (more old stuff with stories that I like :)
got to get back to the station now, it's late...
good night,
john
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Cheers from Queenstown :)
Morning of day 9
Queenstown is amazing...
If you could blend Lake Tahoe, a little bit of Laguna Beach, and fill it with thrill seeking, nature loving, skiing, shopping, granola eating globe treking adrenaline junkies...that would be likened to this town on Lake Wakatipu :)
David and I took a leisurely pace through Mt. Aspiring National Park where fall has definitely come to NZ. The air is cooler and the colors have been changing. We spent some time in Wanaka on the advice of many locals. Way fun, also on a lake, and a micro version of Queenstown, but not as overpriced. We even took a small power nap on the lakefront, lunched on the shores of Lake Hawea...just a nice easy day. Our Aunt Cathy was flying into Queenstown tonight and our dad and uncle were already there. Mom decided to stay home because she wasn't feeling well.
Dave and I met the fam at the hotel, had a few cocktails in the bar where there was some sort of threatre troup putting on a gold rush evening, complete with costumes music and the whole bit. Quite entertaining, some of them joined us for drinks and good times were had :) I took some great pics... (i know...you'll see them!)
After that we all had a nice dinner until about 10:30 at night. Today the fam is headed to our friends sheep station 2hrs south of here for some flyfishing and carrying on. Dave and I are sticking around Queenstown for a bit longer and will catch up with them later.
Right now I'm going to check out some of the sites...it's a gorgeous day! Should make for some great pics :)
John,
Queenstown is amazing...
If you could blend Lake Tahoe, a little bit of Laguna Beach, and fill it with thrill seeking, nature loving, skiing, shopping, granola eating globe treking adrenaline junkies...that would be likened to this town on Lake Wakatipu :)
David and I took a leisurely pace through Mt. Aspiring National Park where fall has definitely come to NZ. The air is cooler and the colors have been changing. We spent some time in Wanaka on the advice of many locals. Way fun, also on a lake, and a micro version of Queenstown, but not as overpriced. We even took a small power nap on the lakefront, lunched on the shores of Lake Hawea...just a nice easy day. Our Aunt Cathy was flying into Queenstown tonight and our dad and uncle were already there. Mom decided to stay home because she wasn't feeling well.
Dave and I met the fam at the hotel, had a few cocktails in the bar where there was some sort of threatre troup putting on a gold rush evening, complete with costumes music and the whole bit. Quite entertaining, some of them joined us for drinks and good times were had :) I took some great pics... (i know...you'll see them!)
After that we all had a nice dinner until about 10:30 at night. Today the fam is headed to our friends sheep station 2hrs south of here for some flyfishing and carrying on. Dave and I are sticking around Queenstown for a bit longer and will catch up with them later.
Right now I'm going to check out some of the sites...it's a gorgeous day! Should make for some great pics :)
John,
Friday, March 20, 2009
G'day fram Haast!
Day 7, Hokitika to Haast
I know you keep hearing me say this, but NZ is the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Today's journey took us to Haast, a small beach community still on the Tasman. Dave and I originally wanted to make it to Wanaka, but spent quite a lot of time exploring the Franz Josef Glacier, and it was well worth it!
We left Hokitika a bit later than usual, took in some more pasties and coffee in town. Kiwi's take a lot of pride in their coffee, but I'll touch more on that later. Just as I was taking some pics of town, I filled my camera card and went to replace it with a spare. I had recently loaned said spare to a friend who took it on a trip back to the midwest. Unfortunately he filled the 2gb card and LOCKED the pictures so I couldn't erase them! Luckily I found a music/electronics store across the street and was able to get another. The gentleman that owns the store is from the UK and we had a nice visit. He sells guitars, cd's, electronics, AND plays in one of the bands Peter from the hotel was telling me about. Result! I ask him to introduce me to some NZ music, we listen to it for a while, and play a little guitar to it. Naturally, I bought the CD :) He and his band play on it as well. My buddies Mikey, Larry, and cousin Mark would have loved this!
Anyway...onto the Franz Josef Glacier...
It would be simple to just park and take a picture, but where would the fun be in that? Dave and I were going to hike to see it, besides, it would be good to get off the bikes for a bit and have a stretch. There were signs in the car park, warning people of theft again. Argh! The NZ crime wave even reaches the face of it's glaciers, bugger! Dave and I decide to take turns, he wanted to stay by the bikes and eat while I hike the first leg. I went ... I saw...I was in awe...and got some great pics of the glacier and waterfalls. I went back and David did the same...
(I'm writing quicker as people are starting to wait for the computer...:)
We continued our journey past Bruce Bay, where people have stacked all the rocks into shaps and towers, very cool. It's a sort of "rock art"...great pic with the bay in the background.
By this time the sun is starting it's decline while David and I are rolling into Haast. Both of us are feeling a little knackered and hungry. We decide to rest before attempting the next mountain pass, Mount Aspiring Park. We spot a lady in a motorhome converted to a restaurant advertising fish sandwiches...perfect...it's Friday ;) David and I being the good Catholic boys we are, decide to partake.. I had a whitebait sandwich (more on that later), Dave had Fush n' chups. Quite tasty...although I don't think my heart would share my taste bud's enthusiasm.
We decided to stay in this small beach community and call it a day, we'll have pasties in Wanaka later...:)
Hoping life finds all of you well..
cheers,
john
I know you keep hearing me say this, but NZ is the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Today's journey took us to Haast, a small beach community still on the Tasman. Dave and I originally wanted to make it to Wanaka, but spent quite a lot of time exploring the Franz Josef Glacier, and it was well worth it!
We left Hokitika a bit later than usual, took in some more pasties and coffee in town. Kiwi's take a lot of pride in their coffee, but I'll touch more on that later. Just as I was taking some pics of town, I filled my camera card and went to replace it with a spare. I had recently loaned said spare to a friend who took it on a trip back to the midwest. Unfortunately he filled the 2gb card and LOCKED the pictures so I couldn't erase them! Luckily I found a music/electronics store across the street and was able to get another. The gentleman that owns the store is from the UK and we had a nice visit. He sells guitars, cd's, electronics, AND plays in one of the bands Peter from the hotel was telling me about. Result! I ask him to introduce me to some NZ music, we listen to it for a while, and play a little guitar to it. Naturally, I bought the CD :) He and his band play on it as well. My buddies Mikey, Larry, and cousin Mark would have loved this!
Anyway...onto the Franz Josef Glacier...
It would be simple to just park and take a picture, but where would the fun be in that? Dave and I were going to hike to see it, besides, it would be good to get off the bikes for a bit and have a stretch. There were signs in the car park, warning people of theft again. Argh! The NZ crime wave even reaches the face of it's glaciers, bugger! Dave and I decide to take turns, he wanted to stay by the bikes and eat while I hike the first leg. I went ... I saw...I was in awe...and got some great pics of the glacier and waterfalls. I went back and David did the same...
(I'm writing quicker as people are starting to wait for the computer...:)
We continued our journey past Bruce Bay, where people have stacked all the rocks into shaps and towers, very cool. It's a sort of "rock art"...great pic with the bay in the background.
By this time the sun is starting it's decline while David and I are rolling into Haast. Both of us are feeling a little knackered and hungry. We decide to rest before attempting the next mountain pass, Mount Aspiring Park. We spot a lady in a motorhome converted to a restaurant advertising fish sandwiches...perfect...it's Friday ;) David and I being the good Catholic boys we are, decide to partake.. I had a whitebait sandwich (more on that later), Dave had Fush n' chups. Quite tasty...although I don't think my heart would share my taste bud's enthusiasm.
We decided to stay in this small beach community and call it a day, we'll have pasties in Wanaka later...:)
Hoping life finds all of you well..
cheers,
john
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Landed on our feet again! :)
I hope my English teachers aren't reading these...I just read over some past blogs and could count all the mistakes... I guess that's what happens when blogging late at night after traveling all day.
On to Day 6 (yesterday)
Yesterday we traveled from the cool fishing town of Havelock to Hokitika, the Jade capital of NZ. Dave and I originally planned to end in Greymouth on the West Coast, but decided to push on. There wasn't much going on in Greymouth. I was looking forward to finally getting a chance to see the West Coast and the Tasman Sea. Weather is supposed to be a bit dicey this time of year, so Dave and I were prepared.
Our route took us down the 6, to the 69 between two amazing mountain ranges, and on to the 7 and the West Coast. We still hit lots of wind and spots of rain, but not too bad. The road along the coast was getting poured on, as we could see the clouds built up over that range. It was so great to come over that hill and into Greymouth and finally see the Tasman Sea.
Another fantastic ride, lots of twisties and thick lush fauna. The South Island is definitely more rural than the North, lots of farms and cattle/sheep stations. Riding along the Tasman Sea was equally as impressive. It was very rough, lots of wind and thrashing waves...nothing that would inspire anyone to go in for a casual swim.
David and I finally decided to stay in Hokitika, a great town. It reminds me of Pismo and Shell Beach on the California Central Coast. Our room had it's own kitchen and windows all the way around. It's so quiet here, we're just over 1km from the beach, and could hear each wave crashing as if right next to them.
The bloke, Peter, who runs the place is about my age and we got on pretty well. We started talking about blues/rockabilly and some other American genres of music we both like. He recommended I visit a pub on the other side of town were some of the guys in town get together and have an informal jam session. Peter told me sometimes it's country, sometimes blues, sometimes good, and sometimes "shit". We went down there later, and it was the latter, so after a couple handles we came back and finally did laundry. Luckily there were facilities on the premises, which was good because after almost a week, some of our clothes were starting to acquire their own personalities and fight with each other.
Today, Dave and I are continuing down the West Coast and plan to see the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Hopefully the weather will hold, I'm looking and it looks a bit cloudy that direction. I guess this is pretty typical this time of year as NZ is coming into fall. We'll likely end up in either Wanaka or Queenstown....
Hoping all of you are doing well,
John
On to Day 6 (yesterday)
Yesterday we traveled from the cool fishing town of Havelock to Hokitika, the Jade capital of NZ. Dave and I originally planned to end in Greymouth on the West Coast, but decided to push on. There wasn't much going on in Greymouth. I was looking forward to finally getting a chance to see the West Coast and the Tasman Sea. Weather is supposed to be a bit dicey this time of year, so Dave and I were prepared.
Our route took us down the 6, to the 69 between two amazing mountain ranges, and on to the 7 and the West Coast. We still hit lots of wind and spots of rain, but not too bad. The road along the coast was getting poured on, as we could see the clouds built up over that range. It was so great to come over that hill and into Greymouth and finally see the Tasman Sea.
Another fantastic ride, lots of twisties and thick lush fauna. The South Island is definitely more rural than the North, lots of farms and cattle/sheep stations. Riding along the Tasman Sea was equally as impressive. It was very rough, lots of wind and thrashing waves...nothing that would inspire anyone to go in for a casual swim.
David and I finally decided to stay in Hokitika, a great town. It reminds me of Pismo and Shell Beach on the California Central Coast. Our room had it's own kitchen and windows all the way around. It's so quiet here, we're just over 1km from the beach, and could hear each wave crashing as if right next to them.
The bloke, Peter, who runs the place is about my age and we got on pretty well. We started talking about blues/rockabilly and some other American genres of music we both like. He recommended I visit a pub on the other side of town were some of the guys in town get together and have an informal jam session. Peter told me sometimes it's country, sometimes blues, sometimes good, and sometimes "shit". We went down there later, and it was the latter, so after a couple handles we came back and finally did laundry. Luckily there were facilities on the premises, which was good because after almost a week, some of our clothes were starting to acquire their own personalities and fight with each other.
Today, Dave and I are continuing down the West Coast and plan to see the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Hopefully the weather will hold, I'm looking and it looks a bit cloudy that direction. I guess this is pretty typical this time of year as NZ is coming into fall. We'll likely end up in either Wanaka or Queenstown....
Hoping all of you are doing well,
John
BUGGER!
...last post continued....
Ok, it's the next day, March 19th, and I just noticed the last post was never posted. Just as I was typing the last portion that was not saved, the converter blew. That's the device we need to plug our appliances into so we can use power outlets in other countries. Anyway, I'll finish what didn't post last night:
Bad parking in Wellington...got a ticket while having coffee and pasties. Before catching our ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton, South Island. It was such a challenge to find a place to park and still be able to keep an eye on our stuff. It appears that crime has risen in NZ the last few years, we had warnings from a handful of locals. I don't think the crime is that bad here, but the Kiwi's are quite sensitive to it. More about that another time...
"Windy Welly" had a couple of surprises: 1. The Te Papau Museum is utterly fantastic! Four floors of fabulous exhibits that included geology, anthropology, zoology and botany (plants and animals), and a huge Maori exhibit on the top floor. My camera battery died halfway through that one. The second was that I got to meet the Prime Minister of NZ! It was so random. He was having some sort of press conference in the museum, I noticed a group of people forming and cameras flashing and went to go check it out and then there he was in front of me with more cameras flashing. I introduced myself, and just as I was thinking of something pithy to say, a little schoolgirl on a field trip came up and showed him her homework for the day. Now how do I compete with that I ask you? I was out of there like old laundry! She was a doll though, and I couldn't blame him. He was really a nice and very cordial fellow. Poor David missed the whole thing as he wanted to wait outside.
After that it was on to the 3hr ferry ride...met a bunch of other bikers from all over...shared drinks...swapped stories...took pics of the fiords...and then we power napped...
Picton is another quaint fishing town, but I could tell immediatly that the South Island was going to be my favorite...
More rain...beautiful vistas...found another great place to stay... more seafood chowder...lights out....
More later....
John
Ok, it's the next day, March 19th, and I just noticed the last post was never posted. Just as I was typing the last portion that was not saved, the converter blew. That's the device we need to plug our appliances into so we can use power outlets in other countries. Anyway, I'll finish what didn't post last night:
Bad parking in Wellington...got a ticket while having coffee and pasties. Before catching our ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton, South Island. It was such a challenge to find a place to park and still be able to keep an eye on our stuff. It appears that crime has risen in NZ the last few years, we had warnings from a handful of locals. I don't think the crime is that bad here, but the Kiwi's are quite sensitive to it. More about that another time...
"Windy Welly" had a couple of surprises: 1. The Te Papau Museum is utterly fantastic! Four floors of fabulous exhibits that included geology, anthropology, zoology and botany (plants and animals), and a huge Maori exhibit on the top floor. My camera battery died halfway through that one. The second was that I got to meet the Prime Minister of NZ! It was so random. He was having some sort of press conference in the museum, I noticed a group of people forming and cameras flashing and went to go check it out and then there he was in front of me with more cameras flashing. I introduced myself, and just as I was thinking of something pithy to say, a little schoolgirl on a field trip came up and showed him her homework for the day. Now how do I compete with that I ask you? I was out of there like old laundry! She was a doll though, and I couldn't blame him. He was really a nice and very cordial fellow. Poor David missed the whole thing as he wanted to wait outside.
After that it was on to the 3hr ferry ride...met a bunch of other bikers from all over...shared drinks...swapped stories...took pics of the fiords...and then we power napped...
Picton is another quaint fishing town, but I could tell immediatly that the South Island was going to be my favorite...
More rain...beautiful vistas...found another great place to stay... more seafood chowder...lights out....
More later....
John
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