Goodbye North Island, Hello South Island!

Quite a lot has happened since my last post! As we travel south, fast and functional internet has become much more difficult to find. This means timely blog posts may not always be possible. We have made it to the south island and will be in Christchurch tomorrow. The south island has been spectacular so far!

On Tuesday we took the ferry from Wellington to Picton and officially started our journey of the south island. The views of Marlborough sound from the ferry ride definitely gave the south island a lasting first impression! In Picton, we found a wonderful free campground located where the ocean meets up with a massive river. We experienced breathtaking sunrises and sunsets at this site.

We did a few hikes in Picton including Snout track which took us to the tip of the main peninsula and we were completely surrounded by Queen Charlotte Sound. Picton is a very cute city and reminded us a lot of the different port cities we visited in Alaska.

After a couple of days we continued south to Kaikoura. The drive down highway 1 took us along the winding coastline with gorgeous views of the ocean and not so great views of the massive amount of road construction. Overall, it went smoothly though and we were back camping along the ocean in another free campsite before we knew it!

Yesterday, Dan and I found ourselves on top of another mountain (Apparently we have a thing for climbing mountains) This time we climbed Mt. Fyffe and it was more difficult than the Tangariro Crossing. My shoulders, hips, calves, shins, and feet are feeling it today. We started at an elevation of 200 meters and in 7.5 kilometers we climbed 1402 meters to an altitude of 1602 meters at the summit. Needless to say this hike consisted of only very steep, very long switchbacks with no flat rest areas. The view along the way and from the summit was truly breathtaking and worth every steep, painful step. My favorite part was the snow-capped mountains!

The next few days we will be able to rest our joints as we gear up in Christchurch and prepare for the next adventure. We are very excited for the upcoming week because we will welcome our first visitors! My parents will be meeting us in Christchurch on Wednesday!! We cannot wait to share with them what we have learned about this country and undoubtedly learn more as we travel to Queenstown together. It will be amazing to share this adventure with them!