Tomorrow we are hoofing our way to Wellington, to catch the interisland ferry to the South Island, as we are going to Nelson for a week’s holiday. Excited? Oh yeah.

Auckland is great, but we are country folk (see my earlier posting) so getting out into the sticks will, I am sure, seem like we are returning home — a place to feel whole again.

Anyone who has been to New Zealand knows that it’s not as little as looks on the map, probably because it has it’s big sister, Australia, leaning over it’s shoulder. The distance from Auckland to Wellington is about 400 miles, so it should take about 8 hours of solid driving (see here). Hence, we’ve got quite a trek tomorrow…

We are catching the ferry from Wellington at 8:25am (ish) on Saturday morning, and we need to be there an hour before the ferry departs. We’ve asked lots of friends for advice on what route to take and where to stop. As a result we have decided to leave Auckland at noon, and then hoof it to Lake Taupo, which lies in the middle(ish) of the North Island here. This should take 3 to 4 hours, and should allow us to catch some of the scenery it offers before the sun sets (see here for an idea of what Lake Taupo offers). We will then have an evening meal and then get back on the road to Wellington for our next leg from Auckland to Wellington…

The Lake Taupo to Wellington leg, is the bit we will be doing in the dark and on a Friday night when all the nutters will be about, or least we have been warned, so we will be driving particularly carefully for this leg. The other hazard will be the desert road, which sometimes closes in winter with snow. We will check the AA website before we leave, and will take an alternative route if necessay.

Then, we will drive to one of the beaches outside Wellington and sleep in a car park before catching the inter islander ferry in the morning. The ferry journey is supposed to be out of this world. We will let you know… (UPDATE: we are hearing it could be choppy out in The Cook Strait thisweekend).

So that’s THE plan. Any tips appreciated, we’ve not really travelled far outside of Auckland, so we really haven’t a clue what to expect.

I love to plan (… holidays, my planning skills seem to be lacking elsewhere), and here is my MASTER plan for our week in the Nelson area (see below, I will try and correct the orientation issue). Myself, and Mrs. E, and The Spaniel will have a fab time I am sure. Expect radio silence for a week, and then lots of blog posts on our adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TALLY Ho!,*cue my best middle England Brit accent (with a bit of Lancashire/Cumbria chipped in)*

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