Picton to Nelson (South Island), New Zealand South
03 :24pm NZTime

Wow. I found out last night how hard Kiwis can party. More on that in a bit.

Yesterday, Deb and I both woke up feeling a little disillusioned. Picton was nice, but it wasn't the panacea we thought it would be. We thought we'd get to the South Island and some kind of Thunderbolt From Above would strike us on our little noggins and we'd make the decision to move here instantly. Instead, we stayed in a holiday park right next to the road and it smelled funny all night. I got the chance to empty the "Solid Waste" container in Spuckler,.. which was a treat of course. We went into town and checked out some of the local attractions, including the Marine Aquarium and the Edwin Fox (an ancient sailing ship that ferried prisoners from England to Australia in the 1700's. Deb was pooped on by a large bird which we were told was good luck.... still trying to figure that one out..

Noshed on some ice-cream and headed out of town towards Nelson on the "Scenic Route".

NOTE: If you're planning a trip here, be warned that the words "Scenic Route" mean the passengers get to see beautiful landscapes and dazzling beaches, while you, the driver, gets a white-knuckle training lesson in hard mountain cornering around cliffs with no guard rails.

While heading across some relatively flat ground, Deb and I started to bicker, the kids were fighting, and it became apparent that it was really time to take a break from Spuckler and stretch our legs. We had seen a gorge with a small bridge over it a few kilometers back so we did a U-ey and headed back.

Man am I glad we did.

We found this absolutely incredible granite gorge with cool water running slowly through it. Pools and waterfalls and white sand beaches. Really beautiful. Met a nice woman with a gaggle of kids and she told us there was a camp site right on the river back behind the bridge. She offered to take the girls on a walk up to a swinging rope bridge while we checked in. It was yet another example of why we love this place. We didn't give it a second thought and just handed the kids over to a total stranger while we checked in at the park.

Took a swim, made dinner and then walked around talking to the locals and drinking. This is the best part of Holiday Parks here. The socializing is a requirement for all visitors, especially foreign ones. We played glow-in-the-dark frisbee and found a walk after the sun went down that went through a glow worm patch.. looked like stars on the ground. Very cool. Ended up talking with a bunch of retired folks who were listening to techno and house music and then moved on to some really great Kiwis next door to us. These guys (and girls) were absolutely nuts. We drank with them until around 11:00 at which point it was time to go chop up some fish, put it in a bag, and drop it in the water for bait so they could hunt eels. Picture this: Deb tearing a fish apart with her bare hands to a yowling and chanting group of drunken laughing Kiwis cheers her on. Too much. Actually ended up going back to the "trap" at around 3:00am and found nothing... A really great time...

Deb and the kids in Picton after Deb's unfortunate incident with the large bird.

The Picton Aquarium... makes me appreciate the funding we get at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Didn't get the name of these fish, but they have giant blue fins and..... arms.

See? Arms... i told you...

They dropped a small child in for us when it was feeding time...

The hull of the Teak sailing ship "Edwin Fox". Imagine 6 months at sea below decks in this thing... without a shower...

Goofing around in the park at Picton.

Spence pulled off to the side during my mountain driving training course....

Just another gorgeous white sand beach... yaaawwwnn....

Kaya levitating as Kenna prepares to jump back in.

Warm water and a beautiful day.

More levitating..

I fought a mighty lobster and came back up with its claw...

Deb walking on the beach in front of the impressive "bush" that grows here...

Kenna found and befriended a duck named "Bill".

A small town between Picton and our campsite... can't remember the name.... more boats than houses.

Kaya and Kenna walk on water in the beautiful gorge...

Kaya held this pose for three minutes....

Kenna learns to levitate..

Right before Deb tore the fish apart with her bare hands.....

Enjoying a peaceful evening of quiet conversation....

Me and my Mates....