Moving onwards and upwards

Rippon vineyard on Lake Wanaka. The pic depicts the start to something beautiful but look carefully in the background and you will see timeless beauty......

So I've said my goodbye's to the South Island and I have to admit that it was somewhat hard to do. I was mesmorized by the depths of the country and again, the lacking population to cover so much land. Made an express route from Wellington (the southern most capital in the world) back to Auckland and I will say that the North Island has a beauty of it's own. It has been about a month since I've been here and the season change is well on its way which makes the already green land just sparkle. There are texturized hills in these parts which compares to nothing I've ever seen before. Of course add sheep and lamb to them and you can really get excited b/c I tell you...those things sure are cute.

Along the way:

*Christchurch was the biggest city in the south no doubt. A refreshing spot to be with it's European influence. Nice to take in some architecture but it still held onto that NZ vibe. The kinda vibe that makes you think that although these stores look like holes in the wall, they could very well turn out to be a secret spot.

I met up with a friend I made on the ferry crossing from north to south and we have turned into great wine and dine friends. So, to be true to ourselves we found a great all natural joint w/ outdoor heated seating and lively music and treated ourselves to seafood and complimented it with Wild South Pino Noir. A beautiful walk around the city till we felt the need to come back to our reality of bunk beds made for a night that makes you forget about your backpack. :)

*Wellington sits on the south of the north island and it takes a 3 1/2 hour ferry ride from picton to get there. I tell you, it was so hard to board the boat knowing I was sitting in NZ's finest wine making region-- marlborough sounds. It was time though and I was excited to spend a bit of time in 'Welly'. We posted up on Cuba St. which is surely the alternative part of town and although it was halloween I got the impression you could dress to fit your fancy anytime of the week, month or year on this street. So yea, I liked it! We did important things like browse the art show featuring skateboards, fill up on information at the Tattoo museum (in which a swiss friend I'd found the day before decided to get tatted), drink flat white coffee's whenever the music of a cafe called us in, and move & shack around the town w/out our maps. It was a proper day!! The days to follow also consisted roaming and shopping b/c there were fancier sides of town and parts designated just for eating and even a district specific to theatre. I liked the vibe here a lot and there was plenty to suit anyone just as long as you could with stand the weather. 1 day we had crazy winds and rains that litterally swept you off the street. Watched a tree come down right in front of me and the people near by just lifted it off the roadway like it was any other day. Hmm.... I guess you can get used to anything.

*Auckland at the moment and I was not a fan when I initially flew in over a month ago. Then again, we played it safe and not smart and stayed in the middle of town. I'm in Parnell @ the moment and it has a bit of fanciness to it with it's cafe's tucked into side streets and gardens growing up the sides of buildings. The sun is shining too though and you know that can make everything look grand. I have to say I like it though but not enough to stick around. Bay of Plenty tomorrow for a 3 day trip around the north of the north island.