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a sunrise over Island Bay, near Wellington.

We had to make an early start from our Wellington B & B in order to catch the 8:00 am ferry. It was still dark when we got up, but as we were having breakfast, we were treated to the most glorious sunrise across Island Bay and Cook Strait. We then drove to the ferry terminal and deposited our rental car before boarding the Lynx ferry. This is a most impressive craft, and once it had 'warmed up' it cruised at 36 knots, but it was incredibly quiet and smooth. The approach to South Island is through a mass of small islands, inlets and almost hidden channels with peaks covered in sub-tropical forest soaring above you. The weather was somewhat overcast so it was not quite as spectacular as it could have been, but even so, the water looked quite blue and very clean.

One thing we have noted is how friendly and welcoming the New Zealanders are. During the trip we were seated opposite a couple who lived in Wellington, and who were having a vacation on the South Island. They were genuinely interested in where we were from, where we were going and what tips would be of use to us. They gave us lots of useful information, and this was typical of so many people we have talked to. Calling into a 'village shop' to buy some water often takes 30 minutes by the time the shopkeeper has finished giving us more help and advice.

Having reached Picton on the South Island, we were initially a bit disappointed to learn that there was going to be a bit of a delay before our next rental car would be available, so we walked into the town (about 5 minutes away) and had great fun snooping around there and also had an early lunch. When we returned to Budget we didn't have to wait long for our car, but there was clearly a problem because the next ferry had come in and they had no cars for any of the people that had booked them. Some people were getting very nasty about it, but although we had been delayed we had enjoyed looking around Picton - why create stress when you're on holiday?

We took a very scenic route from Picton to Havelock and on to Nelson. The first stretch was similar to the narrow twisting roads you get in Scotland except we were surrounded by sub-tropical forest. Once again we had some great views of the islands and inlets and tiny villages, some of which can only be reached by boat, but it would look even better in full sunshine. We were not very impressed with Nelson and by the time we got there the rain had well and truly settled in, and we carried on to Motueka to a B & B we had spotted in our book. It's most unusual because we are the only people there! Everything has been provided for breakfast, and we had the choice of any room in the old house, but we are effectively self-catering for one night. Not that this is a problem, but it's kind of unusual. I just hope the rutting deer outside our window don't keep us awake!

Those of you who are following our progress regularly might spot a slight change of schedule today, but in fact things have gone pretty much to plan, and it was just our pre-trip entries on this web site which were slightly out of date.

The north west corner of South Island is mountainous and covered in rain forest. We now understand what 'rain forest' really means!!! We started the day in Motueka and ended up in Greymouth on the west coast, having driven via Murchison and Westport. For the inland part of the journey (to Westport), we were in non stop rain, much of it torrential, and the valleys between the forest covered mountains were full of billowing clouds. Despite the rain, it remained very warm. It was a bendy, twisty, up and downy road, and it reminded us a bit of driving in the highlands of Scotland because of the rain, except this is like Scotland on drugs!

We bypassed Westport town itself because it wasn't highly regarded in our travel guidebook, and it didn't look great when we got there. Instead we drove a few miles further along the coast to Cape Foulwind where we went for a walk up to the lighthouse. We had some major excitement on our way to the Cape because we spotted a white heron in a field next to the road, and it was obliging enough to stay there while we photographed it. While we're on the subject of birds, one of the first things we did when we arrived in New Zealand was buy a bird book, and we have now identified nearly 30 species, many of which are quite spectacular. We will try to fill in the details on these later, if we have a quiet day.

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a White Heron spotted along the road to Cape Foulwind.

We learned before our trip that the west coast is usually wet because as soon as air coming in from the Tasman Sea hits the landmass and mountains, it deposits its moisture. We could see this very clearly from Cape Foulwind, which was cloudy but completely dry. Just a few miles inland we could see the clouds thickening and great sheets of rain falling. We have attempted to capture this on film.

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a Weka, one of New Zealand's flightless birds.

We then headed south for Greymouth with a stop along the way at Punakaiki where the Pancake Rocks are to be found. The rock there is formed into thin pancake-like slices and the action of the sea has created some unique and fascinating shapes. It was a shame that it was still cloudy, so the photos won't be as impressive at they could be on a sunny day, but it was still an incredible sight.

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the 'Pancake Rocks' at Punakaiki.

So tonight we are staying in a very comfortable motel in Greymouth, and have just got back from a delicious meal at a local restaurant. Tomorrow we head further south for the glaciers, which are only about 3 hours drive away, so we will wait and see what the weather is like before we plan our day.

Tomorrow

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