OK, so the northern part of New Zealand we had cruised through. Now it was time to see if the vibes, views and sights on its southern cousin would be as impressive or remarkable. Although we’ll spend a bit more time here (about 20 days instead of 10), we also intend to be a lot more active… Read on!
After we disembarked the ferry, we collected another rental car from Hertz from the sleepy port office. Not that we had to drive that far. Five minutes later we were in our accommodation for the night: Sequonia Backpackers Lodge in Picton. Basic, but relaxed. We went out for a small walk, although we were tired, and ended up at Picton’s waterfront to eat a dinner of fish ‘n’ chips and a salad, topped off with an artisanal ice cream from the vendor around the corner. Before heading to bed, we took the opportunity to call home to my mom to catch up with the comings and goings on the home front: little sister almost finished with her exams, all good with the grand dad, my nephew Cériel being his own energetic and inquisitive self, father still half-blind but with good prospects of being able see and drive again. All normal.