Mount Cook Village

We went to sleep with this view...

....and woke up to this view.

Mount Cook

Hello South Island!

Yesterday we ferried our way across the Strait and through the Sounds to Picton; last night we slept in Abel Tasman National Park; and tonight we sleep in wine country, with a Jose-arranged tour of Kim Crawford Drylands Winery in the morning!  

Marlborough Sounds

Takaka Hill Forest

Abel Tasman National Park's Golden Bay

Wellington

We arrived in Wellington right as a southerly storm (VERY strong Antarctic winds) pelted the Cook Strait. Deciding to overlook all suggestion to stay inside and museum hop, we ventured over the snow-capped Rimutaka Range to the Wairarapa, a region of forested hills and rivers that descends to Cape Palliser. Riding out the torrential rains and winds in the Putangirua Pinnacles was definitely an interesting (read: terrifying) experience - but ultimately worth it. When we returned to Wellington it was clear blue skies - the perfect weather to explore the city, and the beautiful bays and forests that surround it.

Wellington from Mount Victoria

Oriental Bay from Mount Victoria

Kaitoke Regional Park

Putangirua Pinnacles

       
           
            

Shelly Bay