On Friday (the 18th), we left Abel Tasman and set off for Nelson, one of the oldest settlements in New Zealand. It was a sunny day, but one with a lot of driving and few stops. When we got to Nelson, we had three hours to do whatever we wanted, so Rebekka, Matteo, Helene, Kerstin, Pascal, John, Katie, Gesche and I went for lunch at one of the town's many cafes. After a quick stop at the supermarket, we went for a walk in one of the parks, before heading back to the bus.
It was then on to Picton for our ferry and where we would drop of those who wouldn't be staying with us on the trip back to the North Island. Laura, Catrina, Ilisa and Kerstin left us in Nelson, while Matteo, John and Yvonne got off in Picton.
We also had to leave our guide, Lisa, at Picton as she'd then have a nine day holiday before starting a whole new trip around both islands. She was an awesome driver and guide, really enthusiastic and always there to help us. It's a very intense job with few breaks, and given that it's her first solo trip, I thought she did superbly.
The eleven of us who were travelling North then got on the ferry, which took about three hours to reach Wellington, where we stayed at Base Backpackers.
