The End of the North Island

Celebration Time! The North Island has been completed and it's onto the South Island

Cook Strait, world renown for dangerous and unpredictable waters

You know, it's somewhat entertaining to find out, via another hiker's blog, that Brad was delighted to have been picked up, as a hitchhiker, by a stripper, and delivered to Welllington. I'm thinking, is this something a mother should know? Then, I'm thinking, oh well, and oh yes.

Wellington it is for the weekend. The last city before crossing Cook Strait between the North Island and the South Island. There is much to do. Preparing for the tramping adventure on the South Island is more complex than it was on the North Island. Shopping, preparing for food drops, buying new shoes (again!), having his tent repaired, replacing his pack and poles, and so on...

The South Island has more land mass with 24% less population. The Challenges will be greater in many ways, including resupply, tramping difficulty and weather as the days are getting shorter and the weather colder. New Zealand hasn't had much of a normal summer this year, experiencing lots of rain and cold, but heading south will increase the weather challenges as the summer season changes to fall.