Last day on the South Island

Well, this is our last night on the South Island. We have spent 11 days here, drove over 2500 kms, seen absolutely gorgeous scenery and of course, thousands of sheep. Yes, it is very much like BC and Banff/Jasper but different. North part of the Island has sandy beaches with turquoise water and the temperature of the water is actually acceptable for swimming. Overall, life has a slower pace. Even in the bigger cities like Christchurch, Dunedin or Nelson, people seemed not to be in such a hurry. You notice more young people walking and actually talking to their friends without having cell phones in their hands. People are sitting and visiting with each other, drinking coffee, without keeping conversation with three other people on their phones. I like it. I like it a lot.
I am quite curious if the North Island will be different.

I will not get into details about the countryside, Martin did described it nicely in his post and i am sure he will tell you more again tonight. The one thing I like is to be back by the ocean. Yesterday we had a wonderful day in Abel Tasman National Park. Took Aqua taxi in the morning, got off in one of the bays (Anchorage) and then walked back to the camp - 12.4 kms. Martin took some great pictures, so dont forget to check his blog. I didn't have my phone with me so no pictures. Tonight we are staying at a little campervan park in Picton and I have to say, even though all of them were really good, this one is one of my favourite.

Tomorrow we are crossing on the ferry to the North Island, and we'll say goodbye to the South. I wish I could spend more time here. It is really beautiful.

So far new things I learned in NZ:
- to use the word motorhome, not R.V.
- ask for toilets, not washrooms
- walk on left side of the sidewalk
- wifi - no point paying for it, usually worse than dial up :)
- all yogurt is 98% fat free, meaning its made from skim milk (so far we haven't find any other)

So, this is it for today. Check Martins blog for more. I will post my comments again soon.

Kitchen/Dining Room/TV room

Showers