It was a struggle to get up this morning as I had to be up before the sunrise for a 7am departure. To add to this everyone else in my dorm were still asleep by the time my alarm went off which meant I had to be extra quiet. This was due to the fact that basically everyone I had travelled with through to Wellington had now gone either ahead or in other directions, leaving me alone! I did finally get out of bed in the end and after checking out the hostel I went just down the road for the bus. It was absolutely freezing however which has made me think I should probably stop wearing t shirt and shorts, despite the fact the days are still warm.
It was only a short drive this morning after negotiating the one way system out of Wellington to the ferry terminal. It was funny at one point though because the bus didn't make it round a corner which resulted in loads of cars beeping at us! When arriving at the ferry terminal we had to check our bags in like you would at an airport before boarding our ferry which was 10 storeys high! It was a little wait until boarding started but by around half 8 we were aboard ready for a 9am departure.
The ferry itself was pretty impressive featuring shops, restaurants, cafes and even a cinema. You had to pay for the cinema though which were showing newly released movies. I started out on the observation deck right on top which gave me good views as well whilst leaving Wellington, although it was freezing outside. The alternative were these reclining chairs by the windows inside although by the time I discovered them the decent front seats were taken. I instead settled down with a side view window ready for the 3 hour journey.
During the journey I moved around a fair bit, eventually ending up outside on the deck again as we entered the south island. We had to sail through these islands which were very scenic in the sun before arriving in our final destination of Picton just after midday. We were the last to disembark the big ship as we were foot passengers, and after eventually collecting our bags on the conveyer belt which took ages we boarded another bus which was a really old one.
Driving out of the scenic Picton we quickly headed south ready for a stop off at the Marlborough vineyards, a famous wine making region. We had the option of wine tasting here, although the fact I don't like wine meant I opted against it. There was free fudge tasting next door however which was cool and the setting was very picturesque. There were endless vineyards, a rugby pitch, a lake and even free WiFi. All this in the sun!
From here we continued on which already was proving to be a longer journey than I expected. We moved onto winding roads once again here, this time through these large coniferous forests in the mountains until we arrived in the small city of Nelson. Here we dropped off a few people in which looked like a real nice place by the sea and beneath the mountains. We carried on another ten minutes however to Richmond for our days supermarket stop. Based in a shopping centre, I got my supplies for Kaiteriteri as its only a village. I also finally got a new notebook as my current one only has 4 pages left. In all we spent around 45 minutes here in the end.
When leaving Richmond we got on a brand new bus. When I say new I mean we were the first people to use it, which was obvious by the fresh smell and shiny paintwork! It was one last push to Kaiteriteri from here which was basically the other side of the bay, which was massive. It wasn't too long from Richmond and we finally arrived just before 6 in the end. Kaiteriteri is basically the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, as well as being rated by the guardian as one of the top 5 beaches in the world. I will explore the national park tomorrow which is just 12km away.
After checking into my dorm which was a single bed with a double duvet, I walked out to watch the sunset. I however bumped into the Dutch girls who were on the bus ahead and didn't quite make it to the sunset, instead just walking down the beach. By the time I got back to the hostel time was getting on so I cracked on with dinner which was butter chicken and rice. I think I did too much rice though as it didn't fit on the plate, although it was a very filling meal!
The evening was spent doing yet another quiz night, although the fact this one was held in a locals pub and not a backpackers bar meant it was very serious. The old man running it was very strict on teams and mobile phones, although the questions were far more quiz like unlike the one last Sunday. My team was winning after the first round although we faded badly, especially after the picture round and finished 4th out of 10 teams in the end. It was an enjoyable evening though which was spent with some people I had been travelling with from Auckland, and also the two Dutch guys who have been doing exactly the same buses as me so far! By the time the quiz finished everyone was asleep in my dorm which meant I has to quiet when returning, which I was. It wasn't long from there before I went to bed because I couldn't do much with my phones flashlight!
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