Windy Wellington and Abel Tasman

9 - 11 May

After a fairly long drive, we finally landed in the capital of NZ, Wellington.  We spent most of the afternoon picking up bits and bobs followed by a trip to Te Papa, a new interactive museum.  It was a great place to visit especially as it was FREE!  

In the evening, we decided to have a night out.  We all met in the hostel bar making the most of the free spaghetti bol and cheap drinks before heading out to one of the local bars.  It must've been a good night, if the hangover was anything to go by...

At some ungodly hour, we checked out and headed for the ferry over to Picton.  This is where we said goodbye to our driver, Seagull, and met our new driver Wee-Man.  We briefly stopped in the city of Nelson where we not only picked up 2 fellow Welshies but also Rupert Hughes who I went to school with!  What a small world....

Abel Tasman is a beautiful place and the hostel was amazing, particularly the single beds.  A perfect base for walks or just generally relaxing in the sunshine.

Next stop: Punakaiki