Heading Southbound to the next Town

I finally made it to the South Island of New Zealand.  With just a week left here in this beautiful country I needed to make it count so Josh and I (with the occasional camaraderie of Jenny and Steffiny) road tripped down to Picton,  I guess I should say ocean tripped down to Picton because we had to take the ferry across the Cook Straight between the North Island and the South Island.  We only made it a handful of miles in but it was already a vastly different country.  A random local staying at our hostel said their is deep rivalry between the islands.  I don’t think that is true, but the landscapes are certainly different enough. 

Picton can be found deep into the Marlborough Sound, a picturesque water body surrounded on all sides by lush green hills despite the oncoming winter.  I have enjoyed the mild temperatures, and the mostly fortunate weather as I take my summer vacation in the Southern Hemisphere.  Anyway, Josh and I spent Saturday hiking up to an overlook to get a better view of Picton and the Sound.  Sunday morning we were able to put a different perspective on the great views from the ferry as we kayaked through the sound.  It was a tiring occasion, mostly because I took one of my longest swims in several years on Thursday coupled with indoor rock climbing on Friday.  Tired arms aside, the views were something else.  The water was the perfect shade of blue-green and clearer then a recently Windexed window pane.  The animal life was minimal, though birds, sea stars, jellyfish, and mussels abounded amongst the diverse plant species and cool rock formations.  

I certainly wish I could have seen a little more of the South Island while I was down here but on the bright side, it gives me more incentive to come back (as if I needed much incentive anyway).  New Zealand has been great to me but it’s a little bittersweet to think about leaving in 5 days.  I’ll miss the friends I’ve made, both Kiwi and American, but I do miss my friends, family, and lovely lady back home.  Look for one or two more posts this week as I wrap up my travels!