Nelson Tasman and Marlborough Sounds

Hello from the ferry,
after a long time on land, we are currently once again on a ship, the ferry between the South and North Islands of New Zealand. But first, let's talk about the last few days. We went to Abel Tasman National Park, which is located at the top of the South Island along the coast. We woke up early to make the most of the whole day. This paid off, as we had beautiful weather with almost no clouds in the sky. First, we went to Split Apple Rock, a famous rock in the water that looked like a split apple. Then we drove over a pass further north, which gave us great views of the national park. When we arrived at the first beach, Taka Beach, we decided to spend an afternoon at the beach, but it was cut short by strong gusts of wind. Due to the increased waves, we couldn't rent a canoe to paddle around the beautiful coast. But we still didn't miss the opportunity to take a dip in the very cold sea. After that, we found a 1-hour track to the Wainui Falls, where we also jumped into the water (even colder than the sea;)). After the beautiful summer day, we went to a free campground by a river, which quickly filled up after us. We also took another dip in the cool water there and enjoyed the late afternoon in the sun on our camping chairs by the riverbank. Unfortunately, the weather looked different the next morning. We left early again and first visited the Pupu Springs. It is the largest freshwater spring in New Zealand and has the clearest water in the world. When we arrived there, we were lucky that the sun appeared so we could admire the clear water. When we reached Farewell Spit, a 70-kilometer-long sandbar, the sun appeared again and we walked along a section of it. On the bay side, we could see a part of the mudflats, while the sea side was very stormy with high sand dunes. Many birds nest in the interior, which we could observe well. We also walked through high sand dunes at Wharariki Bay to see the Archery Rocks. In general, the Farewell Cap with its high cliffs and beaches is very wild and impressive. In the afternoon, we took the same road back towards Nelson. After doing some shopping, refueling, and doing laundry, we continued towards Marlborough and could stay overnight on a meadow behind a tavern, where it was surprisingly beautiful besides the horses. The next day, after visiting the Visitor Center, we decided to explore the Marlborough Sounds. These are fjord-like waters that have formed in the region through the sea. Despite the light rain, we hiked to the Cullen Viewpoint and the Oharau Lookout, where the view was simply fantastic. We could look over the Queen Charlotte Sound, as well as the Pelorus and Manahau Sounds on the other side, and admire many smaller bays. When the sun appeared, the water shimmered in a bluish-green color that was different from all the other shades of blue here and cannot be described. In Picton, we filled up our water supplies before spending our last night on the South Island at a campground. This morning, the alarm clock rang very early so that we were at the check-in in Picton in time for 8 o'clock. By now, we have already sailed through the Sounds and are on the open sea heading towards Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
See you then,
Malia