South Island, New Zealand: Arrival

April 2, 2013 in New Zealand, Oceania, Travelogue

Family Travel, New Zealand

There is an eerie fog hanging between the mountains that leap out of the sea, creating the fjords that welcome us to the South Island on New Zealand.

The hard wind that blows through the Cook Strait has abated as we’ve crept through the channel towards the sea gate of Picton. It reminds us very much of the Ocisollo Channel, in British Columbia, where my brother lives: grey, cool, foggy and dotted with fish farms and uninhabited stretches that are a tangle of green.

Compared with our other ocean ferry experiences our trip on the Interislander has been a piece of cake. The crossing was smooth, no one vomited, like during the horrible storm we weathered between Italy and Africa. It didn’t take place overnight like the North Sea crossing. And it was a mere 3 hours instead of the 26 between Tunisia and France. 

We spent the time reading, sleeping, working, writing, schooling, and sipping our cups of tea. We’ll be disembarking soon, and it feels very much like we’re being deposited into a whole new world.

Adventures await!