We stayed for two nights in a cute little place called the Welcome House outside of Nelson (north coast of the south island). It was nothing more than a couple in their 60's who had opened their house for backpackers. It was like we were staying with our grandparents in their guest room. Jim got to sit and watch a rugby match with Sam (the owner) and learn a lot about the sport. We really want to go to a game while in Australia!

After that we headed back to Picton. On the morning of the 9th of March we headed out with Morgan our guide and two women to kayak in the Marlborough sounds for 4 days. After an hour car ride we put our boats into the water it was a beautiful sunny day, just a bit windy. We paddled about 16km that day, after we stopped and had lunch we had some pretty strong headwinds, Jim was in the back stearing and he did a great job of keeping us on track.

When we got to our remote campsite on that first night we were a little disappointed to find that some otehr paddlers had already made camp there (We had wanted to get away "into the bush"). However, our dismay was soon turned into laughter as we met our delightful fellow kayakers. It was a group of 4 Kiwi men, lifetime friends and devout paddlers, who welcomed us and regailed us with their whit and knowledge of New Zealand. Symon the fireman, Steve the Zooligist, John the "photographer" and Don the Air traffic controller.

It was endless entertainment with these guys - whether it was John cooking their meal while diligently following the instructions his wife had written out for him (the recipe included lyme leaves! - It only took him 2 hours to cook it!) or Steven telling us about his latest ideas for Children's books (Timothy the Toothy Trout that Tangoes). They also shared some insights about life in New Zealand (some hidden spots that they wouldn't reveal) and Kayaking which they were all way into. We talked with them into the night and then enjoyed throwing rocks into the water to watch the underwater fireworks courtesy of the phosphoresence. John showed us to where some glowworms had made their home. Finally we sat back and took in the incredible display of stars in the dark sky.

The next morning we set out in high winds again and it made for challenging paddling. The 4 amigos started after us from camp but soon left us in their wake. Before long the heavans opened up and poured down rain on us. It was actually quite invigorating and Jim and I let out screams of joy! Finally, exhausted we made it to our campsite and found a sheltered site under some trees. For a while it was in doubt whether we would make it as I seemed to have great difficulty keeping our kayak going straight!

When the rain let up a bit Jim cooked up some mussels that he picked off the rocks. Steamed in White wine they were delicious! The Marlborough Sounds has quite a few Mussel farms actually.

The next two days we had perfect sunny weather. We paddled up to the far reaches of a "dead end" sound and enjoyed the abundance of bird life - Shags, Shearcutters, Oystercatchers, Spoonbills, Riflemen (all with cool names too!). The downpoint came when Jim dropped his camera in the water (Sad!). He has since named it Magellen since they both died while cicrumnavigating the globe!

Overall it was a fabulous trip. We enjoyed the chance to be out in nature as well as the good company of our fellow kayakers.

Our heroes

PS We later found out that those 4 Kiwi guys with the tall tales and fictional professions were actually something of kayaking celebrities in New Zealand. John had actually circumnavigated New Zealand, Australia and Japan in a kayak! And Stephen runs a kayaking shop. We're onto you guys!