First week in the South Island

Hello hello guys and dolls,

We arrived at Picton on the 20th of december late at night and in the rain. No worries though, we had booked a cabin the day before in probably the smallest campsite we have ever seen. We left for Havelock via the coastal road which works its way in and out of the Marlborough Sounds bays and it is spectacular. Although there are some hills to climb it is not heavy cycling and the fact that there is hardly any traffic allowed us to enjoy the amazing views. Havelock is a quiet little town with a lot of history and one of those places most overseas tourists just fly by but wrongfully so. It is well worth a visit and it is set in beautiful surroundings. Travelling as we do on our bicycles we get to see places most tourists do not. At times we would have preferred to advance a bit more but the legs, weather or our little blonde tornado does not allow for it and I think that´s a good thing. We get to see the real people of New Zealand. The fishermen, hunters, nurses, supermarket personnel, builders, carpenters, newspaper deliverers, couriers, postmen, mechanics,...all tell their story and the most beautiful thing is, we have time to listen to what they have to say. We get so many different views from people from all walks of life, New Zealand to us now has so much more meaning and history, Vanessa and I love it.

On the 21st we set off to Nelson, knowing that it was going to be difficult to get there in one day. The weather was beautiful and the roads and traffic were kind to us. Although we were on the highway, cycling here is completely different from cycling on the North Island. There is far less traffic and no aggression from drivers. Nice.
I can´t remember why but we arrived late at our first lunch break and we were wondering if we should leave the two big hills that we knew were in foront of us for tomorrow. Vanessa thought we should at least try to get over the first hill so off we went. It was hot and soon the road started to ascend. The first kilometer was pretty heavy going but we didn´t have time to panic because we got over the hill in no time, easy.
Another 6 kilometers of easy flat cycling until the picnic area of Graham stream where we decided to put up the tent.
The next day we had an early start and a big hill in front of us. Just like the day before, the hill´s gradient at the beginning was pretty steep but after about 2 kilometers it became an easy ascent and we were surprised to see that we started descending without suffering too much. After a long and beautiful descent we got to Hira where we had a bit of lunch in the gasstation/shop. From hereon the way into Nelson was very easy going, The weather was perfect, with the sun lightening up the day and the wind pushing us straight into town. There is a cycle path all the way into Nelson so we didn´t have to go on the highway.

The next two days we spent in Nelson, celebrating Christmas with a big steak. Ella had a massive veggie burger but she was only interested in the fries.
Christmas in Nelson is busy and we enjoyed every second of our stay. The views from the campsite are amazing, the people are lovely, the beaches a delight. At low tide, Ella had a playground so big she couldn´t believe her luck. She ran and swam in the pools, ran after the ducks and couldn´t get enough of playing with all the other kids on the campsite.
On Christmas eve we hitchhiked into town and we ended up having coffee with the couple that gave us the ride in. We inmediately got on like a house on fire and they invited us for brunch the next day. We gladly accepted of course and we met with their son, daughter in law and grandson. After brunch we al went to have a walk along a river near Nelson. A perfect afternoon filled with good conversations and laughs. I tell you, if we would be running the world, things would look quite different. We had some good ideas on how life on earth should be!

26 of december and we are off to St.Arnaud. From Nelson to Richmond we followed the cycle path and from then on it´s very easygoing. We got to Belgrove and somehow we unfortunately fell without juice in the legs and decided to stop. Except for the local tavern, there are no facilities in Belgrove but the owners let us camp in the backgarden. A few beers with the locals and we were as new. We still can´t believe the hospitality of our hosts, we had a great time and had good fun.

27 of december and we woke up from the rain on the tent. This is the South Island, while the weather can be nice this side of the hill, it is pouring with rain on the other side. The rain was falling heavy and we were stuck. Our hosts suggested a solution. They would give us a lift into St.Arnaud but I was too keen on cycling so we decided to get Vanessa and Ella into the car while I was going to cycle to St.Arnaud. I was not going to regret it. Although at times it was raining very hard, it wasn´t cold and the scenery here is just amazing. Nothing but forest for 60 kilometers and the low clouds made this journey so dramatic...a day I´ll never forget. Although the clouds were covering up most of the mountains, we could still appreciate the grandeur of the place. When I arrived, Vanessa had checked in into a backpackers because the campsites were fully booked. By evening fall the sky opened up and before our eyes, from out of the backpacker´s kitchen, nature´s spectacle is beyond words.
We are living a dream and we don´t want to wake up.