Day 18 - Crossing to the North Island and Cape Palliser

Today is all about the North Island.

I checked in with Bluebridge for the crossing just before 7 am; this time I am allowed to take the rental car with me, which makes the ferry transfer much more pleasant compared to the last crossing two years ago, when I had to drop off one rental car in Picton and pick up a new one in Wellington.

At 7:45 am we board the ferry, which departs with about 20 minutes delay. The weather is unsettled, but occasionally the clouds break up. The crossing is smooth and after about three and a half hours we reach Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

Unfortunately, as announced, the weather is not very inspiring, so I decide to drive to Cape Palliser, the southernmost point of the North Island.

The 140km drive is problem-free and surprisingly, the weather here is even nice.

You have to climb 252 steps to reach the lighthouse. There is a strong breeze up here.

So now I have visited the southernmost and northernmost points of the South and North Island respectively!

On the way back, I stop in Ngawi. Here, there is something special: the boat owners have built trailers with long tongues for their boats, which are then pushed backwards into the sea by bulldozers.

Finally, I visit a filming location of the Lord of the Rings trilogy near Wellington. The scenes for 'Rivendell' were filmed here.