Rick and Cathy Hit the Road

 Spent our last day at the golf course in Nelson. The course was pretty rough. You could definitely tell it was the end of the summer as most of the grass was brown and pretty crunchy. The best part was the stunning Mountain View. Watching Kelsey running around the golf course looking for her lost ball and kicking up her heels was pretty entertaining too!  And now we start the long journey home…

 The water here in Abel Tasman National Park is so blue/turquoise that you might think we’re in the Caribbean but nope, we’re still in New Zealand at the northern part of the South Island in Tasman Bay.  Took an amazing 2 hour guided sea kayak trip along the coast and around an island to a beautiful beach to lunch and swim and then hike 3 hours back through the National Park.  What a glorious day!

 This place just keeps getting better and better! We made our way up the west coast stopping at various points of interest. And passing some unusual sights… …a cow running down the road! I won’t mention the poor bird that flew into the windshield and got stuck in the windshield wiper (oops, I guess I just did)! No, sadly he did not survive. It’s crazy how such a small country can have such a variety of ecosystems; tropical forests, farmland, glaciers, rock formations, beaches…and that’s just on the South Island!  In Franz Josef we stayed in a cute green Airbnb with a big red bus parked in front. Nearby hikes were stunning! From Franz Josef we made our way over windy, steep roads stopping at Punakaiki National park to walk among the pancake rocks, and explore a cool cave. Luckily we hit the blow holes at just the right time of day to experience the roar and thunder of the crashing water on and in the rocks. Next stop… Carters Beach! A mouse in the house and a white tailed spider made fo

 Everyday I feel like I’m pushing my limits. Today we conquered the Callery Gorge in Franz Josef NZ. The walk through the woods was like walking through a magical forest where fairies live. I half expected a magical creature to peak out from behind a moss covered tree. Instead, an island goat popped up from the bush and calmly walked away.  Ending at the gorge was incredible! It took me a couple of tries to get out onto the swing bridge but eventually I was able to do it with the help of my two guides.