Kia hari te tau hou! (Happy New Year in Maori.) We hope this finds you all doing well as 2009 gets underway.We're happy to report that after 2+ months of repeat visits to the mechanic, our lemon of a car ran smoothly throughout our Christmas holiday South Island travels. We were blessed with good health, traveling safety (both on foot and by car) and overall good weather including a break in the clouds that allowed us to see New Zealand's tallest peak, Mt. Aoraki (Mt. Cook).
The Alps of the South Island are much more impressive than any mountains the North Island has to offer, and what with the alpine vegetation and bountiful blood-sucking insects, we almost felt like were in Alaska at times, well, at except when the baaaing of sheep awoke us! We really enjoyed both the holiday parks (campgrounds that include hot showers and full cooking facilities--microwaves, stoves, refrigerators, etc.) and the basic DOC (department of conservation) sites as well. This is definitely a country well-designed for the backpackers (aka trampers) and campers. We totally recommend it!
May these pictures give you a glimpse of the beauty of the South Island, its people, and animals. Feel free to check additional photos on our facebook pages. Enjoy. And again, Happy New Year!
Love,
Carrie and Thomas
Since we live in the middle of the North Island, we first drove 4 hrs south to Wellington and boarded (including our car) the InterIslander ferry.
Picton is the gateway marina to the Marlborough Sounds (South Island)
A view of Tonga Bay in Abel Tasman National Park.
Anchorage Bay (on the Abel Tasman Great Walk).
The start of Avalanche Peak hike.
1/2way up Avalance Peak.
Treehugger?
Thomas never misses the opportunity to explore limestone caves!
A yellow-eyed penguin, one of the rarest penguins in the world!
Ready to go after our first night out... the blur you see is a mass of sandflies (probably about 100 of them.) Nothing is a greater motivator for packing up a tent quickly!
This was the first of many swing bridges we crossed--something quite common on maintained trails.
Hiking in Mount Cook National Park.
This kea (one of the world's only alpine parrots) may look cute but it's quite cheeky. One put over 20 holes in our brand-new tent! When we returned to Taupo, Thomas co-workers told stories of damaged cars (where windows were poked out) so I guess we didn't have it too bad.
How's that for an alpine valley?
Sumitting Gillespie Pass.
Taking a break to enjoy the view (and rest a bit, too). On this particular hike (or tramp as they call it in NZ) we did over 60 km in 49 hrs!
Lunch break... time to kick off the boots, swim in the stream, and enjoy the view!
We felt a bit more confident making our glacial stream crossings after watching this farmer go across the rivers. This farmer ended up giving us a ride back to the carpark (saving us 5 km of walking on a paved, busy road.) You gotta love Kiwi hospitality on New Year's Eve. He transports food, sheep, even cattle across the river. 
Another hike in the Southern Alps!
A view of the farm, ranch, and forest land near Motueka.
Farthest south we've ever been (about 41 degrees south latitude.)
It's not everyday that you see this street sign! :)
These kids don't need any rehearsal to be shepherds in a Christmas nativity drama!Traffic (sheep) Jam near Te Anau.
Last glimpse of SI mtns before taking the ferry north.
Cheers for a great Christmas, 2008!
