We took a 3-hour ferry, along with the car, from the North Island to the South Island. It’s actually more like a 5-hour journey since you get there early to check in the car, drive onto the boat, and then wait in line to drive off the boat.
That’s our car on the ferry! Far left, 3rd from the front. We are starting to think of the car a little more affectionately since it the engine hasn’t fallen out yet. The Yaris (of Australia) was still the favorite though.
The coastline views from the ferry were awesome, the entire way.
We arrived in the small town of Picton:
And drove an hour to the even tinier town of Lakes Entrance (consisting literally of one motel and I think 2 residents) – it was right by the Marlborough Sound.
Here’s the drive there, it was so pretty:
That night, we headed out to watch the sunset:
The next morning, we took a guided kayaking tour of the sound. There we only 2 other people on the tour, and one guide.
The Marlborough Sounds were made when rivers (running to the ocean) eroded the coastal land away, and they waterways are called “sunken rivers.” The rivers eroded large areas and they have created a very impressive coastline – now these are all salt-water, connected to the ocean.
The Queen Charlotte Sound is the one we kayaked in - here's a map of the area:
Gearing up:
We were in a double kayak, which is nicknamed the divorce maker. We actually got along quite well, good teamwork. The water was very calm, and it was very “cruisy.” There’s one of the views (and me in my geeky sun hat).
It was a very calm kayaking trip, with smooth water and more gorgeous views. We had the sound to ourselves (and our small tour group) the entire time. We saw some rare birds, along with jellyfish and stingrays (no pictures, hard to get the camera out of the dry bag in time.)
That afternoon we took a drive to see more of the sounds, and more beautiful views. The clouds and fog actually gave the scenery a cool “mood.”
No comments:
Post a Comment