InterIslander

Thursday Morning we were up early again (5 AM) to catch the InterIslander to the South Island. We dropped off our rental car and would pick up a new one on the other end. Bill was sad to see our sporty bright blue North Island car go.    The InterIslander was an experience in itself. It is a huge ferry that runs from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island several times a day. It has a movie theater, cafes and amazing views. We spent our time on the ferry enjoying the views, having breakfast in a cafe and learning about what to do on the SouthIsland. The ferry took about 3 hours. When we were approaching Picton, we got to see a tiny water plane taking off, very cool. We picked up our South Island car and were on the road. We had a short 1 1/2 hour drive to Nelson where we will be staying for 4 nights. The drive took us through Marlborough Wine Trail, which is about forty or so vineyards along one road. Since we are huge wine fans it was really exciting to be so close to this many great vineyards but we were anxious to get to our destination so believe it or not we did not stop. Off to Nelson we go...   

Wellington

On day three, we enjoyed the waterfront in the city of Wellington. We woke up early and walked along the wharf area and found a nice place for breakfast. After that, we went to the museum where we learned about some of the geology of New Zealand. We also walked along Cuba Street which is similar to State Street in Madison. There were a bunch of shops, delicious cafes, and pubs. For dinner, we found a nice restaurant right on the water and had a tasty meal.

Tongariro Crossing

On our second day, we were up at 5 am after sleeping for about 12 hours the night before adjusting to the time change. Our goal was to hike (tramp) the Tongariro Crossing about an hour south of Taupo. Since it's a crossing (one way), we needed to line up transportation back to our car. The front desk was unable to reach the tour company, so we drove to the park with hopes of figuring it out on the other end. We were in a hurry because transportation was leaving for the crossing promptly at 7:30 am which meant there was no time to stop and get supplies like food or water, but somehow there was time for a quick stop to get coffee?!?! Once we got there, there was a van waiting but the driver said he was completely booked. Luckily a couple didn't show and we were able to take their spot. 

The first hour of the hike wasn't too steep. It was a gradual incline with volcanic rock around a nice stream with a few water falls. Then it started to get a bit more serious. The incline increased and the weather started to sprinkle. Once we reached the top, the weather cleared and the views were absolutely amazing. We could see the steam and smell the sulfur from the volcanic activity. Also at the top were these crazy emerald blue lakes. The hike took about 7 hours. Parts of it were exhilerating other parts definitely felt like self inflicted torture, but the entire trek was well worth it. Needless to say, we were exhausted, thirsty, and hungry.

After the hike, we started our drive to Wellington which took about 3 hours. We stopped at a cafe along the way and had a well deserved meal.