Dire straits

Maybe Auckland has spoiled us a bit, for both facilities and space, cos we're incredulous when places are closed on a Sunday and feel crowded just thinking about airports & the like. The ferry was full to busting AND they'd all done the German thing & got there at dawn for the best seats, so we were a bit harked off before we even left the port.

It's one of New Zealand's top journeys and it really wasn't that bad, but nor did it live up to the hype. With near-perfect weather, the open ocean was like a puddle on a windy day. In fact it wasn't even windy, which made the locals visibly uneasy and probably made the front page of the Herald besides. There were some great mountain views but a fair bit short of breathtaking; I think that was the biggest let-down. They presumably need more dramatic weather, with the ship bucking like a steer, waves crashing off the bow and clouds hanging over the peaks like an ambush. Sunny and warm was just dull & lifeless.

On to Nelson and our little cabin on a gorgeous campsite just south of the town. Nelson was closed, of course, cos it's Sunday. A very pretty place, just totally deserted. All we wanted was an icecream, ffs.. whinge, moan..

And then we look again at where we are, and where we've been, and how utterly gorgeous it all is. Feeling like a bunch of bloomin' ingrates, we are, or at least I am, as I can't shake off the desire to park up the car and do off on me bike, which of course is still in box somehere in Auckland. Onward we shall press to Christchurch the morrow, full of vim for the start of a new week and a gander at the place we're hoping will stop our spoilt-brat faces twisting.