Mountains were gradually replaced by rolling hillsides which in turn were replaced by vineyards, we had entered the Marlborough region and that could only mean one thing - Sauvignon Blanc! Names that we had come to know from wine bottle labels were coming to life on signs and in vast swathes of vine covered fields as far as the eye could see, Wither Hills, Brancott Estate and Cloudy Bay.
We stopped off in a small, coastal fishing town to buy some of NZ's famous green-lipped mussels to cook for supper. They were enormous, inexpensive and really yummy.
Our residence called 'Cottage by the Sea' in Motueka (a real fruit growing town surrounded by miles of fruit farms and orchards) is a super little modern cottage and backs right on to the coastal footpath/cycle route and beach. The tide goes a long, long way out leaving an enormous feeding ground for a whole variety of sea birds and being east facing it was a perfect opportunity for me to get up early and join the squealing pied oystercatchers for the sunrise. Blissful.
Steve and I had a morning stroll round Ruby Bay just down the coast and were peacefully admiring the huge wide open sky and quiet inlet when we began to notice a few individual gentlemen strolling out along the shingled spit, wearing only caps and shoes, this one was carrying a fishing rod.
I greeted each one with a friendly 'good morning' whilst we giggled to each other very childishly, realising we had stumbled upon a quiet nudist beach.
Abel Tasman National Park is very popular with long distance footpath trampers and we were only a few miles outside the park boundary so set off on a day trek to take in part of the coastal path.
The deeply forested path took us around headlands and above many bays and beaches and was a very pretty walk as I 'route- marched' Steve (his words) along for the morning. We finally found some silver ferns, the NZ emblem, after looking for three weeks and turning over numerous fern leaves in a variety of woodland locations all over South Island.
In the afternoon we retraced our steps, dropping down to visit most of beaches as we went, and taking the occasional rest to admire the scenery, some of us taking a much lengthier rest than others.
It was whilst sitting on Porters Beach that we spotted a Chinese man wrestling with his fishing rod, obviously with something large and heavy on the end of it, and it drew our interest. Gradually a few more people, all different nationalities, arrived on the beach and we gathered together wondering what was struggling beneath the waves.
We had been observing for nearly an hour, captivated, when finally a huge sting ray - with about a 1 metre span - emerged on to the beach thoroughly exhausted. It was then that it dawned on us, when the chap's daughter appeared and asked us if it was edible and how should she cook it, that he was going to kill it. A good time for us to move on quickly.
On a happier note we gave two lovely young French hitch-hikers a lift back to town, they were desperately missing good cheese and cheap wine, and like us were not impressed with the wifi service out here and were also fellow regulars at the local New World supermarket to use the free wifi. We even have a store loyalty card!
How life throws up some strange coincidences. The following day we headed further north to Golden Bay, reached via a high, frighteningly twisty and steep mountain road straddling 2 national parks
and happened to stop off at a small marina to use the facilities. We joined a small group of tourists sitting on some rocks to watch a cool looking man feeding massive sting rays using chunks of squid on a long stick and stroking them; I even got to have a go myself. Two sting ray encounters in 2 days!
This same man ran a very quirky and tiny coffee bar, the 'Espresso', on an old fishing boat in the marina, full of rusty old equipment but very original and interesting. The least we could do was have a coffee there and support his small business and relaxing out on the deck with a moccachino was very novel.
Saw my favourite road sign of the day on a narrow coastal stretch next to a rocky headland where little blue penguins come in at night during nesting months and have to cross the road to feed their chicks.
Moving along the coastline we arrived in Nelson today, a seaside/port/large town possessing a terrific vantage point at the end of a steep climb uphill in a botanic park, showcasing the busy side of life in one direction
and the wonderful countryside right on the doorstep just by turning 180 degrees.
Lara's coach Linda, from her footballing days with Royston Town under 11's, is a kiwi and lives in Nelson so we gave her a call and drove up to her house for a coffee. The views from her windows and patio out across Tasman Bay were incredible and it was great to catch up with her.
Today was a rare cloudy dull day so we decided to take it easy and after a leisurely breakfast we made a picnic and borrowed the motel bicycles for some exploring on 2 wheels. New Zealand enforces cycle helmet wearing (which I totally agree with) and we were even provided with hi-viz waistcoats for a safe ride. There are some really well designed off-road bicycle routes in and around Nelson and we had a good 4 hours plus of cycling on a varied coastal route (primarily to avoid all the hills!). The tide was right out so we were largely riding alongside quiet marshy mudflats.
We cycled past a large factory with an information board outside explaining that it was the largest MDF production site in the world. This whole area is covered in pine forest-clad slopes and logging is an important industry, we have met many enormous log lorries on the tight bends of the steep mountain roads!
We ate at a very funky vegetarian restaurant in a backpacker hostel tonight and felt like proper travellers. We have also noticed, during evening strolls, that the moon appears to be waxing and waning 'the wrong way round' and on a similar theme it took us a little while to become accustomed to the sun being in the north at midday, particularly problematic when using the sun to help with navigation.
Arriving in Picton this morning after a winding scenic drive along the edge of Queen Charlotte Sound, we had a lovely bed and breakfast location awaiting us overlooking the marina with splendid views beyond. Picton is a port for the busy ferry crossing over to Wellington on the North Island, but it is also a pretty town with a wonderful setting and plenty to do. Funnily enough nearly everywhere we go seems to be surrounded by steep wooded hillsides.
This area is called Malborough Sounds and is made up of many flooded valleys or sounds and looks very interesting on the map. The sounds are so peaceful and our walk along the hillside through the bush (as they like to call it out here) gave us great views, albeit a bit noisy with trees full of high-pitched cicadas.
Wanting to cram in as much as we can while we are visiting each location as well as relaxing is a fine balancing act. Mountain biking was first on the agenda today and we were provided with excellent bikes from an outdoor hire company in town. Picton has lots of technically difficult cycle routes but we opted for a low-level forest route to a nearby marina; Steve described it as fun but a little bit terrifying at the same time as he sped down the steep narrow rocky tracks. We took the gentle route back along the road!
After an hour break for lunch we were back at the same shop this time for our kayak hire, 2 hours of sea kayaking along the sound, but only after an intense 15 minutes of instructions (including capsize escapes and flare procedures) were we allowed to set off with our safety gear, spray deck and life jackets. I was at the rear and even had a rudder to steer with my feet, which was a first for me.
Having dodged the local sailing club racing competition we then had to contend with the wake from 4 different large ferries, which was all quite fun and choppy, although we did deliberately beach ourselves in a quiet bay to sit out the first one.
We spotted thousands of jellyfish in the water, all harmless, but that didn't stop me from going for my first New Zealand swim on our return to the Picton shores, after all it was about 28 degrees C. Another even closer encounter with a sting ray was narrowly avoided as one swam past right where I had been swimming moments before as I stood drying on the sand; phew!
My favourite restaurant food so far has to be the delicious seafood chowder and we both had this tonight as we sat outside at a seafront cafe on our last evening on the South Island reflecting on our personal highlights. We just hope the North Island has as much to offer...
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