It's Feb 28 and I'm in Dunedin, heading to Christchurch tomorrow morning.

The journey south started two weeks ago on the InterIslander Ferry from Wellington. The ship was huge--big enough to include a movie theater--so I thought minimal turbulence. The number of seasick passengers proved me wrong--the sea was angry that day my friends. Much rougher than I expected. I later discovered that the ferry didn't run the next day 'cause it either got worse or our trip was too close for comfort.

South Island adventures included: hiking View image and sea kayaking View image along the coast of Abel Tasman National Park; seeing Franz Josef glacier; rafting the Buller River (rafting wasn't great but the scenery was); stunning views of the wild West Coast View image; Wanaka's fun and puzzling Puzzling World; cruising around beautiful Milford Sound (despite the crap weather); observing dolphins, sea lions and rare yellow-eyed penguins in the Catlins; a relaxing two nights in front of the fire at a house on Curio Bay where I decimated my nemesis Allan in Scrabble; good nights out in Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin.

View image from the observation deck atop Queenstown.

The downside was the lousy weather and sheer numbers of tourists. Couldn't kayak Doubtful Sound without extending a few days and, why stay someplace to sit in a room watching it rain? Need to rent a mountainbike in Christchurch to burn off some of those quality New Zealand brews I've been consuming.

And I fell in with the friendliest fellow travelers I've met in a while. Too many to mention but spent the most time with Allan & Liz, Katie, Jesper, Morten & Jenny, Audrey, Monique, Daniel, Trish, Ciara...I'm certainly forgetting a few. A diverse group, good chemistry (except for all those nutty Germans). Cheers for the good times, guys.

View image of Lake Wanaka and View image of the best rainbow I've ever seen.