OFF THE GRID?

So, I am sure you are thinking, they must have been swallowed up by a mud pool in Rotorua! Or perhaps they were thrown into a volcano for a cultural sacrifice. No worries, we are alive and well in spite of some very cold and wet weather. We got to enjoy the first September snow in 10 years! Aren't we lucky! The weather had been rainy, and very cold for about 5 days After we left Rotarua. We headed to Whakapapa to see the ski area that is on a volcano! Unfortunately, we were not able to see anything but a very thick mountain of fog. Word has it the mountain is beautiful. We had a nice chat with a local ski area employees, who filled us in on the details of the area over a handle and rugby match. It seems that the ski bums are the same wherever you go, what fun! It got us jazzed about ski season at home! We headed down the mountain and off to a glow worm cave, however, it seems that glow worms are not in my future. With bad weather, narrow windy road and heavy Sunday ski area traffic, things were a little tense, so we ended up heading south to New Plymouth. It was so cold and damp when we arrived, we found an outdoor store and purchased fleece hats and rain pants. Coming from Hawaii, we were not prepared for such cold and wet weather. Once again we were hoping to see a snow covered volcano, but it was hiding behind a large cloud and thick fog. So off we went down the south coast. The Tasman sea was very angry from the large storm that was upon the island. The beach was covered with large logs and various debris that had been thrown up on the shore. That evening we ended up at a small beach town called Kai Iwi. It was raining hard, sleeting and hailing. The hail was so hard it covered the road like a blanket of snow. We pulled into the only place along the road which was a local pub with a warm fire. The night was very windy and rough in the camper van, however the next morning gave way to some sun shine. We headed south to Foxton where we enjoyed a visit with Ruth, a friend of the family. She took us out to a very nice dinner and we had a delightful evening. That night was very cold and we woke up feeling like kiwi popsicles. Looking for warmer weather, we headed off to the pacific coast to see Napier. How sweet it was. The weather was fine, and the city was beautiful. The Marine Parade (coastal road) was lined with giant pines, and huge royal palms lined the main streets in town. We enjoyed a tasting at the ESK winery and celebrated our 15th anniversary in the camper van enjoying cheese, crackers and wine. How perfect! From Napier we headed south toward Wellington. We met our friends Rick and Katie and Hokulani, from Hawaii, and have been traveling with them for the past week. Wellington offered us a cable car ride up a steep hillside to a beautiful botanical garden were we spent the day before heading back to the city for dinner. The next day, we caught the ferry over to the South Island. Although the journey across the cook straight is known to be very rough at times, our crossing was very calm. Again the weather was cloudy and rainy, so sadly, we were not welcomed to the amazing colorful seas that put on a show when the sun is shining. The town of Picton was very quaint and quiet. That evening we walked into town to have some dinner, and at 7:00 everything was closed down except for the local Irish pub. Luck would have it that they could serve us some Guinness pie and as a bonus, it was local music drop in night. There were about 7 local and tourist musicians having a bit of a jam session and sing along. It was a blast! The next morning we headed down south toward Kaikoura, I was determined to see some whales and the weather promised to be better a bit south. Holy Cow! The sun was peeking out and the sea was amazing! An incredible aqua marine, azul, see through, color that is hard to describe or even imagine. We drove along the coast line, amazed at the beauty! We stopped at a beach that had thousands of male fur seals basking among the warm rocks along the shore, waiting for the ladies to arrive. This is described as the area where the mountains meet the sea, and all I can say is, it is incredible! As we looked inland from the coastline, popping out form a layer of cloud was a big beautiful snow covered mountain range. What a sight to see! That evening we landed at a 5500 acre ranch, where, we were the only campers, in a beautiful valley surrounded by snow covered peaks, and a few cows and sheep for company. Since the weather was not shaping up for whale watching, we decided to head back up north toward the Nelson. We took the scenic route along the Queen Charlotte sound. As we wound around the very steep and narrow road along the coast, we could see the fingers of the sound all dressed out with native bush, fern palms and yellow blooms covered the hills and the steep cliffs plunged into the turquoise sea. We drove on up to fairly remote Elaine Bay and enjoyed a quite camp spot on a beach that was so calm it felt more like a large lake than an ocean. We enjoyed a beautiful hike through a pine Forrest and native bush along the coast line. Once again marveling at the color of the sea. It it so beautiful it almost seems fake. The next day we were off to Nelson to take in some art! Nelson claims to be the art capital of the country. Once again it is rainy and cool, so we put on our rain coats and headed in to the city center to check out the galleries. There really are some very talented kiwi artists. Today is the Saturday market in Nelson and the sun is shining! So we will head into town and enjoy the art, fresh fruit and veggies and then head up north to the Tasman Bay and the Able Tasman National Park. We left the North Island with a calm and serene feeling. The landscape was very relaxing, rolling hills dotted with sheep and dairy cows, beautiful farm houses and lovely gardens. The South island on the other hand, is the Drama Queen! Everything we have experienced so far has been pumped up like it is on steroids. We can't wait to see more of this beautiful place! Until next time....Good Day Mate!