We made it to the South Island on Saturday. I have not been able to post any updates however, because we have been camping from town to town, hurrying to get down south before the rest of the tourists do. After we finally got through the rest of our work visa requirements, applied for tax ID numbers, set up bank accounts, and got a NZ phone number, the real work began of looking for a car. We checked backpacker postings, online postings, and a weird used car lot, and finally had some luck at a “car fair” that is held every Sunday in Auckland. These are cars that are being sold by dealers, locals, and travelers leaving the country. We wondered around for awhile through the masses of other people looking for a good deal. After seriously considering a decent looking Subaru from a questionable salesmen, we settled on a 1996 Honda Odyssey from a German man. He had been here with his family for a few months and bought the car for that time period, so we all went to the post office and paid $9 to have the paperwork changed over, that part was easy. Sunday night we stayed at the hectic youth hostel one more time and planned our next destinations.
Now prepared with a mid 90’s mini van, a steering wheel on the wrong side of the car, and a map (that is right we left the GPS behind), we set out towards the South Island, via the eastern part of the North Island. We camped for 4 nights in different areas, Tony caught a few fish on the Mohaka River, saw some Lord of the Rings filming sites, many a vineyard, and the ocean before we arrived in Wellington on Friday. Since we had not showered since Sunday, we opted for a cabin at a Kiwi Holiday Park (similar to a KOA) and finally got cleaned up. We promptly headed out to get some food from a Chinese smorgasbord restaurant. They have these in most towns that we have driven through and consist of traditional Chinese food and a massive variety of fried things that include fish ‘n chips, Mars bars, fried fruits, lasagna..you name it, they will fry it. Since we had not been eating very much we gorged ourselves on a family meal of broccoli and chicken that could have easily fed 4 people. We did restrain ourselves and the food lasted for several days.
The ferry ride was smooth across to Picton. It often is so windy that they ferry is “like the perfect storm” as one local told me. I am extremely prone to motion sickness and was prepared for the worst, but did not have to worry. We camped the next 2 nights and came to Nelson for some fishing info and a day to see the sites, so we are basically just camping in town at the Kiwi Holiday park here. Nelson is one the ocean and full of bicycles, recycling, and some decent art galleries. Tomorrow we have tickets to see the premier of The Hobbit in 3D. They even let you choose your movie seats in advance!
