Today we woke up early to board a massive boat that is part of the Intercoastaler fleet in order to cross from the North Island to the South Island. And when I say the boat is massive, I mean it. It's as big as a cruise ship, and our large Topdeck bus (along with other large cargo trucks) drove onto the boat to be transported as well. Our tour group had our own lounge on the ship, which was pretty nice as it gave us some privacy to sleep and play card games. One important thing to note is that the Cook Straight is well known as one of the roughest stretches of water in the entire world. The first hour of the journey, when we were in the Wellington harbor, was the rockiest boat journey I've ever been on. There were 3 km high waves and the boat lurched for a good 45 minutes, causing anyone who tends to get seasick to freak out. Luckily my stomach is strong from all of the rollercoasters I love so much, so I could handle the waves, but it was an interesting experience to feel the rocking like that on such a large boat! The next 2 hours were pretty smooth and scenic though, and we got a special tour of the boat's Bridge (or command center), which was a nice addition. The views from the boat made me super excited for the South Island!!
The South Island is larger than the North in terms of land size, but the population is much smaller. To put it in perspective, Auckland (the northern city that I flew into) has more people than the entire South Island combined. The land is full of mountains and beautiful hills, trees, parks, rivers, and pretty much anything you could wish for.
Right now we're in Nelson, where we stopped at a local vineyard called Forrest Winery. We were able to taste 5 different wines, and I bought a bottle of their award-winning Reisling to bring back and share with Mom and Dad at home!
After settling into the hotel, we went to the beach a block away to watch the sunset. There was a crazy guy who decided to go swimming in the freezing winter water, but other than that silliness, the sun was gorgeous as it set behind the mountains. Tomorrow we're headed to Abel Tasman National Park for a day full of kayaking, hiking, and hopefully spotting some seal puppies!! Can't wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment