Leaving Picton and heading to Wellington

Arriving in Windy Welly

On Thursday morning we got up early and drove from Collingwood to Picton, a little town on the coast, to take the ferry from the South Island over to the North Island.  On the way we drove through farmland, orchards and plenty of small towns before we reached the ferry terminal.



The ferry from Picton to Wellington takes about 4 hours and travels back and forth a few times a day.  The ship itself was huge and had restaurants, cafes, lots of outside and inside viewing rooms and also a theater to watch movies if the weather got nasty (which it did and we watched The Avengers). 

A little Kiwi English at the hostel

Walkway along the coast in Wellington

We arrived in the port of Wellington at about 5pm and for the first time in about 8 months it felt like we were back in civilization with three lane highways, sky scrapers and traffic lights.  It was quite stressful trying to navigate through the city during rush hour traffic on the opposite side of the road and after a couple of loops around we eventually made it to our hostel, the YHA Wellington.  We spent the evening walking along the waterfront and going into the city for dinner.  If we are not blown away (Wellington is crazy windy) then I think we'll really enjoy a couple of days in the city.

Marina in Wellington

Farewell Spit courtesy of Google - it's at the northwest tip of the South Island

 Sean and I spent our one full day in Collingwood hiking in and around Farewell Spit which provided both amazing scenery and incessant high winds.



We did a few short hikes in the morning and then one long hike which took us out onto the spit later in the afternoon.  On our first hike we went out to a remote beach which was so windy we could barely stand up.  The upside of the wind was that it made incredible marbleized designs in the sand.  On our way back we saw seal pups playing in the lower pools that were a bit more sheltered than the wide open beach. 






On our second hike we made it to Cape Farewell and saw lots of steep cliffs with interesting rock formations.  To get to all of these places involved driving on kilometers of unpaved roads, passing through farmlands and opening/closing multiple livestock gates and following haphazard and occasionally placed trail markers.  Throughout the whole day I think we saw about three other people, tops.




During our last hike, we walked out as far as we could on the actual sandbar.  Since it was low tide the shallow water seemed to stretch for miles and the pools were filled with shorebirds eager for an easy meal. 






When we crossed over to the other side of the sand bar, the wind became almost unbearable, which we had been warned about.  We walked on the dunes for awhile until sand had penetrated every possible human crevice and then decided it was time to turn around.  Being out on the spit was such an unusual experience because it was so remote and wild - it felt like being in one of Shel Silverstien's books because you could literally see where the earth came to an end.  Luckily, neither one of us fell off.

Walking along the wharf in Greymouth

DP1 Cafe

We rose bright and early at the motor lodge mostly because we could hear all of the other motors starting up all around us in every direction.  Before motoring off ourselves, we stopped at the DP1 cafe right on the wharf for some breakfast.  The cafe was one of those with dredlock-covered hippie baristas and chalkboard menus with inscriptions like "We believe in music and we believe in love" but the food was good and the atmosphere was even better.

Now that's my kind of  brekkie!

Before heading up to the North Island, Sean and I drove northwest to the tip of the South Island and stayed in a tiny little town called Collingwood (population 250).  We wanted to visit Collingwood because it's the town closest to Farewell Spit - the longest sandbar in the world.

The mighty village of Collingwood

We stayed for two nights in what used to be the police station of Collingwood but is now a small motel called The Stationhouse.  The town was very quaint and many of the buildings look just like how one would imagine them to look years ago.  I particularly enjoyed the Rosy Glow handmade chocolate shop which looked like something out of Candyland.

Our motel - the Stationhouse

 After quite a long drive up to Collingwood from the West Coast we checked in to our hotel and explored the town.  This took all of about 5 minutes since the town was about the size of one city block.  We decided to go to a restaurant that had been recommended to us called The Mussel Inn. 

Mussel Inn home brews on tap with the locals' mugs hanging

I thought the Mussel Inn was going to be fine seafood dining but it turned out to be much better - a rough and tumble homemade brewery with family style seating and cheap snacks. Jackpot!  While we enjoyed the Mussel Inn, we were bummed that we didn't have the time or the funds to check out another restaurant that looked interesting called the Naked Possum - a place that only serves wild game.  Maybe next time!

Farmland with the ocean in the background

The little lambs were so cute!

On the first day of our road trip. Sean and I drove to Greymouth, a city of about 7000 on the west coast.  The scenery along the route was spectacular and everything that one would imagine New Zealand to look like: snow-capped mountains, alpine lakes, bright green farmland and a raw and rugged coastline.  A few things that stuck out were the complete absence of people and the omnipresent sheep - they were everywhere.  Luckily, it's lambing season so we not only got to see the wooly mama sheep but also the tiny little lambs that jumped and ran around.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the lambs

One way bridge coming up - get ready!

Another thing that stuck out were the sheer number of one lane bridges.  There are no two lane bridges in New Zealand; every bridge is a single lane with a sign on each side which alerts who has the right of way.  Similarly, there doesn't seem to be any two lane highways either.  What Kiwis classify as a highway is really just a single lane country road.  This is all fine by me, however.  The drive was relaxing, void of other cars and people and filled with beautiful views.

Our "cabin" at the holiday park - it was pretty classy

But I shouldn't say that the whole drive was relaxing.  I drove for about 3 hours and for that bit the atmosphere in the station wagon was a bit tense.  I had driven a little bit in Queenstown beforehand to practice, but this was my first real chance at getting to drive for an extended period of time.  It was terrifying and in no way recommended for those who are spatially/directionally challenged.  My heart literally skipped a beat when other cars passed me on the right and the steering wheel was slick with sweat from my hands.  The speed limit was 100 kph but I averaged about 80.  Fortunately, like I mentioned earlier, there weren't many other cars on the road.  Sean maintains that the whole process was actually more agonizing for him.

Unpacking

When we arrived in Greymouth, we checked in to our "holiday park" and put on our hiking boots.  We had a brewery tour booked in town and didn't want to drive after the tour so we had decided to hoof it into town.  To make the tour by 6pm we were going to have to go quite a bit faster than we had planned.  I wasn't too fired up about this and when we hit about 5k running in the pouring rain, Sean had to go ahead because I wasn't keeping a fast enough pace for us to make it.  He ran ahead and stalled until I arrived about 6 minutes later soaking wet, panting and out of breath but definitely ready for the tour.  I am sure we looked ridiculous.


Monteiths is one of New Zealand's leading microbreweries and makes a few different kinds of beers and ciders which they not only serve to Kiwis but also export to Australia and the U.K.  After the tour of the tiny brewery we got the chance to try their range of brews including the seasonal apricot ale.  After we had warmed up by the fire and used all of our free beer tickets, we started the long walk back to our campground.  Day one of our vacation was definitely off to a running start.

We all had to wear high visibility vests while on the tour which is funny because the brewery was about the size of a small house

Sean and I all dressed up at the NZSki winter formal

My boss, Lucy and Garret

This past week was filled with packing, planning, cleaning and goodbye parties as Sean and I finished up the "working" part of our working holiday visa and prepared for the "holiday" part.

My work colleague, Becky and her boyfriend, Bobby

Saturday was the last day of work for both of us and neither of us were too disappointed to hand in our uniforms and name badges.  Although we'll miss our work colleagues, we won't miss the long hours and low pay that come with casual/seasonal jobs.

The Remarkable Retail SnoSnop girls!

On Friday night, the ski company hosted the end of season formal Winter Snow Ball which stirred up quite a bit of excitement.  The theme was "Ties and Tiaras" and included lots of free drinks and a buffet supper along with a live band and dancing.  Sean and I went and had a really good time (except for the fact that both of us had to work the next day).  As you can see, we especially enjoyed the party favors on the table such as the assortment of stick-on moustaches.




Saturday night we had our farewell party in Queenstown and many came out to say goodbye and wish us a fun time on our trip.  We hung out with our flatmates, friends from the hotel and ski field and students of mine.  It was a good way to end our permanent stay in Queenstown.

Flatties out for a final drink in QT

My favorite Hilton housekeepers

My favorite English students from Czech

After a rather frantic day of last-minute packing and preparation, Sean and I left bright and early on Monday morning for a 10 week road trip of New Zealand and Australia.  Let the vacation and adventures begin!