Our last days on the South Island

In the past months, we have already visited almost all places on the South Island, a real round trip, but two highlights were still missing. First, we headed 130km south to the Kaikoura Peninsula. The entire route followed the coast along State Highway 1. It was interesting to see that renovations are still ongoing after the 2011 earthquake. Not only the ocean and the pounding waves on the beach were impressive, but also the largest seal colony on the South Island. We stopped at the viewpoint and watched the wild chaos. Several hundred seals, including many young ones, were lying lazily around, splashing in the water, and even performing small tricks.

A spectacular view awaited us just before the small town. On our left, there was nothing but the wide ocean. On our right, a snow-covered mountain range towered towards the sky. Wow, what a contrast, mountains and sea in the same panorama.

The special feature of this area is the steeply dropping seabed just off the coast. The canyon is said to be 1km deep, a perfect condition for a variety of fish. The main attraction is whale watching by boat or helicopter. Sperm whales are said to be visible here all year round. Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the weather, so a whale watching tour by boat was not possible. Additionally, we were unsure if we even wanted to take such an offer with many tourists cramped together on a boat.

We decided to take a stroll through the small town and a hike along the edge of the peninsula. Always with a view of the open ocean - maybe we'll be lucky to see a whale in the distance?

The hike led along a cliff and despite the strong wind, we enjoyed the wide views of the ocean and mountains. The way back led along the beach, where once again there were plenty of seals to observe up close. This was a particularly enjoyable excursion for Tim, as he also found remains of seals and some shellfish.

This was a real opportunity to relax

The Marlborough Sounds, a fjord landscape in the north of the South Island, was one of our last destinations.

We spent one night in a small village located in a bay. Clear water, nestled between green mountains - a peaceful place where you can enjoy spending time.

Of course, a hike could not be missing in this place either. We chose one stage of the Queen Charlotte Track, which is normally completed in three to five days. 25km as a daily goal was sporty. But this track was worth every minute. Pure nature, views into small bays, and glorious sunshine.

Picton, the small town, is the starting and ending point for ferry crossings between the two islands. A day before we crossed, we strolled through the shopping street and the harbor. From a bridge in the harbor, we discovered impressively large stingrays among the sailboats.

After almost five months of traveling, 6174 km, working, WWOOFing, or simply relaxing on the New Zealand South Island, our journey was about to continue. On April 19th, we took the ferry early in the morning. We were very excited to return to the North Island and start a new chapter. At the same time, we were also sad to leave behind the South Island, which had given us so many beautiful moments.

The ferry route, which partly passes through the Marlborough Sounds, is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. We were very impressed by the many small islands that we sailed past. However, Caro's enthusiasm outside on the open ocean was limited. "We should stand outside the whole journey and not miss anything" quickly turned into "maybe we should go down for a moment?" After over three hours, we finally arrived in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington.