Our last day on the Northern Island: Today we take the ferry from Wellington to Picton. If we are not exactly sure where we have to go we prefer to start early. It would not have been necessary though, we at once find the right way to the check-in – what means we are in place hours before the departure of the ferry. We are forced to wait eternally before the check-in even opens. When it finally does we are the first passenger car allowed to enter the ferry.

The weather is fantastic, the sun shines from a blue cloudless sky. We stand on deck enjoying the trip through Wellington Harbour and the Marlborough Sounds. The wind gets too tough when the boat enters the Cook Strait and we flee inside. Somewhere I read that this is one of the most beautiful ferry passages all over the world. Well least of them I know but this one is really marvellous.

The mountain ranges on the South Island are higher than the ones in the North, and we only reached the foothills of the Southern Alps yet. All in all we have to overcome three high passes before finally getting to Parapara in the Golden Bay. Naturally the view is always terrific but driving nevertheless is very exhausting. Only a few miles before we reach our destination an avalanche destroyed half of the street, the site has not been reconstructed so far. In exchange we really get a glimpse of two of the rare Takahes stalking up the embankment. I barely trust my eyes. In any case the legs were far to short for the birds to be Pukekos.