Mike and I have returned from our South Island adventure. What a fantastic trip! We rented a car, had a tent and two sleeping bags and made our way down the entire East Coast of South Island and then headed to the West Coast and back up to the top. We covered 2,956 kilometers (1,836.7 miles). The entire 2,956 kilometers was by way of a two lane, windy, country road….some paved, some not. We crossed mountain ranges and many one lane bridges along the way as well and of course, you guessed it, lots of sheep! They have some cute signage along the way to tell you to stay awake when you drive….they say things like, “Don’t Count Sheep When You Drive”. Driving your own car is a great way to see this country up close and personal.

Most of the South Island is quite remote. We found small towns miles and miles apart and some larger cities too but not many. Lots and lots of country! Our camping experiences were great as the South Island caters to campers and backpackers. The campgrounds are nice and cleaner than motels we stayed in on the North Island. We met lots of new people and even met up with some boater friends we met in French Polynesia.

We finally managed a wine tour in this great country of 350 vineyards! They picked us up at our campground and took us to 3 vineyards and one beer pub. We did this with one other couple from Auckland and needless to say had a great day. Our tour guide promptly returned us not only to our campground later in the day, but to our actual campsite so we wouldn’t have to stagger shamelessly thru the campground! Out of the 350 vineyards here only.2% gets exported anywhere. Many vineyards are boutique vineyards and you can only buy their wine directly from the vineyard. Shamefully, I have gained the “freshman 15” since arriving in New Zealand from all of this fabulous wine!

The last day of our trip we returned to our perfect beach front campsite just as it was blowing away. The winds came out of nowhere, as they often do here. We learned the next day that across the channel in Wellington the winds reached 140kilometers and even 120km (75 miles per hour-hurricane force winds) in the marina where the boat is. Luckily a new friend of ours on the dock, managed to come aboard and close our opened hatches and tie the boat down better. Gary was 1 hour up the coast that day taking a kite surfing course. We sustained quite a few gouges in the body paint, had a cleat rip right out of the fiberglass and had some canvas damage to the Bimini…it certainly could have been worse. There were quite a few boats sailing out in the harbor that were caught off guard and went over but luckily we’ve been told all were safely rescued. There was much damage to houses and rooftops throughout Wellington and surrounding areas as well.

Well, now Mike and I are back in Wellington where winds still blow gale force each day….but that’s normal. We are getting some work done on the boat while Gary is taking about a week to tour the South Island himself. We will enjoy some time here and definitely head out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (Happy 40th St. Pat’s Birthday Stephen!). Mike does have a Kilt and I’m sure he will be putting it to good use tomorrow! Stay tuned….Life is Good…