Kaiteriteri, gate to Abel Tasman National Park

PIn Kaiteriteri we found a beautiful camp ground directly at the beach. It is a tiny little village with a small golden beach, where boats start their trips along the golden coast. There are fifty small golden sand beaches located one next to the other, only separated by tall rocks. As we want to continue our drive we take only half a day to explore the area. We are lucky to find a boat which takes us on a short tour along the coast to see the Split Apple Rocks. As we are the only people on board we enjoy a very personal tour with a lot of fun and talking. 

Funny boat, completely self made by the boat owner.

The split apple!

The boat builder, owner, and operator and tourist care taker!

In the afternoon we leave lovely Kaiteriteri. On our way to Blenheim we stop at a gallery and I am lucky to find a nice print showing Kaiteriteri beach. It is signed by the artist and is a lovely memory. 

Our next stop is Mapua where we have a break and a coffee and watch the naughty seagulls. 

Friday, 9 May. On the way to Kaiteriteri!

In the morning we drive to Nelson to explore the town, which was especially

praised by our travel guide. 

Honestly, we were a bit disappointed. It was a normal town with much traffic, no parking lots and a cathedral which we did not like so much.

Then we discovered the park and an art gallery, which were quite nice and after all the lunch was good there.

At the visitor centre we heard about a beach, where we might have a walk. When we got there we were really surprised: 

This beach is on an island called Rabbit Island, once again we were almost the only people there. The beach is 5 km long and we found huge shells there. 

On our way back from the island we saw the Seyfried vinery and stopped again. 

The friendly lady told us a lot about the wines and the owner, who is from Austria. Of course we tasted the wines and got to know a wine called Würzer!!! It is a hybrid grape from Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau!! 

We really enjoyed it, what I could not imagine at first. 

This lady told us about a nice little spot called Kaiteriteri and showed us a photo of the Split Apple Rocks. So we decided to go and have a look around there, which we did on Saturday. 

From Picton to Nelson

On Thursday we go further north on the picturesque Queen Charlotte Drive. This part of NZ is the sunshine coast, as it is usually warmer and sunnier here than anywhere else. 

Our first stop is at a lovely beach called Governor's Bay. We have to go down a very steep path but it is worth it:

 

It is warm here so we can lay down and enjoy the sun and the crystal clear water. There are no people, we are alone and it is so quiet that we hear the breathing of a seal and then we see it. 

We discover a huge starfish:

It is lying 40 cm under the surface! So you can imagine how clear the waters are here in this area. 

The second stop is at Pelarus Bridge, where we go on a walk into the forest. 

A suspension bridge and a stunning view:

In the forest one can see huge ferns. They are differnt from those in Germany as they are trees. 

It is really lovely here. 

In the evening we arrive in Nelson or Richmond,  which is the next little town. 

Here are some impressions from the region we drove through. 

We love being here, NZ is a nice and relaxed country. 

The South Island

On Tuesday we take the ferry to the South Island. It is really a long time to travel, about 3,5 hours through the Marlborough Sounds. We arrive in a small town, called Picton and as the weather is so nice, we decide to stay there and just relax. 

A church or a home? We don't know but like it. 

On Wednesday we decide to do the mail run. The Sounds are a beautiful region with hundreds of islands, with fjords and mountains and greenish waters. 

Some people in the sounds live on islands which cannot be reached by cars but only by boat. Therefor e the postman comes once a week and delivers the mail and other products, like groceries and even the homework of the children, who do not go to school, instead they are homeschooled via Internet. 

This is the postman and our guide. Some tourists can join the tour and have the chance to get to know a bit about life in the sounds. 

The pigs are waiting for biscuits!!!!

This is a five star resort, where one night is only 600 dollars per person!!!! And you get there only by boat, incredible, isn't it?

Wellington und ein Wiedersehen mit Kathy.

Es ist eine lange Fahrt von Napier bis Wellington und wir kommen müde und im Dunklen auf dem Campingplatz Lower Hutt an. Daher nehmen wir ein Taxi, um uns mit Kathy zum Abendessen zu treffen. Treffpunkt ist der Crabshack an der Waterfront. 

Nach eineinhalb Jahren kennen wir uns doch schnell wieder und speisen Seafood bis zum Abwinken.

Kathy und ich teilen uns The King. 1 Kilogramm Lobster, eiin Riesentier, dem wir mit Scheren und Händen zu Leibe rücken. 

Wir verabreden uns für Montag zum Frühstück und dann geht es ins das berühmte Wellington Museum, Te PaPa. 

Das ist ein berühmtes Maori Portrait. 

Eine Modeaustellung mit Namen "Wow". Kathys Lieblingsschuhe. 

Moderne Maorikunst, die erst 1995 in das Museum aufgenommen wurde, obwohl schon 1960 gemalt, aber als Pornografie bezeichnet. 

Ein Bikinioberteil aus der Wow Kollektion. 

Im Maori Versammlungshaus, dort werden immer die Schuhe ausgezogen.

Als wir aus dem Museum kommen, regnet es wie aus Eimern, wir sind bis auf die Haut nass. 

Wir beschließen nach Martinborough zu fahren, ca 1 Stunde Autofahrt, um dort neuseeländischen Wein in einem der vielen Weingüter zu probieren. 

Die Fahrt entpuppt sich als spannende Berg- und Talfahrt mit engen Kurven und steilen Tälern. Beinahe während der gesamten Fahrt begleiten uns zahlreiche Regenbogen. Da Anhalten unmöglich war, gibt es keine Fotos.

Die Weingüter sind leider alle geschlossen, denn in NZ macht um 16.00 Uhr alles zu. 

Trotzdem haben wir eine tolle Weinprobe im Info - Weincenter und entdecken den wunderbaren Pinot Gris Stonecutter 2010! Außerdem gibt es dort in Martinborough die tollste Mini Tapasbar, genannt Micro! Das Essen und der Wein und die Atmosphäre sind so schön, dass wir fast versacken dort. 

Leider müssen wir zurück in die Stadt. Dort verabschieden wir uns und sagen: bis Weihnachten!

Liebe Kathy, es war eine schöne Zeit mit dir und es hat Spaß gemacht, die Reiseeindrücke auszutauschen. 

Sunday morning in Napier, the Art Deco town

The weather is so nice that we would like to sit at the beach and just relax, but then we decide to drive to Napier. So,  what is an Art Deco town?  As we don't know anything we want to find something out. 

Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930ies. Nevertheless the inhabitants decided to build a new city and they only used Art Deco style for the new houses. Interestingly there are a lot other features today which enhance the impressions of the 1920ies style, like fashion stores, fountains or statues. There are festivals when all the people dress up and have picnics outside. When we were there a hot rod old timer show took place.