Ibis Wellington

... walking back to their car along with their two dogs and a pig. Well I think it was a pig. The biggest of the three had what I assume was a wild boar or at the very least a very hairy brown pig on his back and he was carrying it like a rucksack. I gave them a pleasant hello and carried on like I saw people carrying dead (at least I think it was dead) pigs on their backs all the time. <br><br>What I listened to: Mouthfuls by Fruit Bats ...

... can see in the picture that I am like a kid on Christmas after being cooped up in the van all day. The next day was the big fairy trip from Wellington to Picton and just like most modern democracy&#8217;s there were two choices. Bluebridge and the Inter Islander. I chose the cheaper of the two Bluebridge which would later come to bite us in the ****. We showed up at noon and were on by 12:30. Everything was ...

... nose. Rich fruit again but less earthiness and more spice. Firmer tannins.<br><br>2008 Pinot Noir &#8211; Rich and more spicy than the 99 rows. Good acidity, firm but smooth tannins, already a good balance.<br><br>The early evening was spent with my hosts sipping fine wine and canapés then a quick meal was taken at the local Italian (very like an Pizza Express) and an early night as I was on the 8:25am ferry to the South Island the next day.

It took us 2.5hours to drive from Kaikoura to Picton, where we got a 3hour ferry ride to North Ïsland. Wellingotns a 'real city', not at all like the quaint towns we've been used to seeing in NZ. We stayed on a scummy site in a cabin the size of our old box room (ok for 1, not ok for 3), with plastic matresses and stained sheets, eurgh!. We spent the only full day we had there in a quilt exhibition (as in what you put on a bed). We stumbled upon it by ...

... and to kill a few of the weaker brain cells with some local Savignon Blanc. Caroline has a great place a few blocks from Parliament and the city hub, and we walked to a Thai restaurant to join her friends for dinner. It was great to have an evening at a friend's house to shower, do laundry and regroup with an American accent! Her friends were really welcoming and fun as well, so it was a great finish to the visit. When I had arrived at the Wellington YHA on Wednesday, I decided ...

... at the ski slopes as we passed, but the access road was closed, so carried on driving to Five Rivers where we made a right turn to Te Anau. Made good time so took a detour to Lake Manapouri. Stopped for a coffee and were eaten alive by the pesky sandflies! A sign of things to come. After a good meal in an Italian restaurant we went to the Moose bar where they were showing the rugby sevens. England actually beat the All Blacks (NZ) in the final!!! It went very quiet.... Sunday 8th ...

... flax plants and around the lake to Maranui Hut our longest tramp at 18-19kms and our home for the night. Nights in the huts are usually pretty sociable with trampers swapping stories of the trail, weather news and checking out gear and home base. This night there are only 4 other people - all Kiwis from Christchurch. Day 3 Wet underfoot from last night's rain as we head out to the end of the track some 15km on.We cross a long suspension bridge (swing bridge in Kiwi ...

... large walking area, a very different site &amp; when we sat down to enjoy our dinner a very different soup, it was a box of tomato sauce, well it looked similar &amp; it had a big tomato on it, perhaps we will have it in a spag bol another night, the hasst pass was superb driving alongside the river we crossed it so many times we lost count all the bridges we crossed were wooden &amp; single line traffic, we came across a waterfall which was crystal clear &amp ...

(Originally published at http://www.troysgonewalkabout.com)<br>< br>For my very last leg on the South Island I left Nelson and took the scenic route around the head of Queen Charlotte Sound to the ferry terminal at Picton. A day or so out of Christchurch I realised the lady in the car hire office didn&#8217;t give me back my voucher book when she took out the one for the car, so I had no ticket to get on the ferry. But disaster was averted when I dropped the car off at the ...