Van Time (Part One) Raglan heading South.

Niall picked us and all our stuff/boards up in a prius, at first we laughed saying there was no way we were all getting in with our boards inside as well, but he proved us wrong. Arriving in raglan we got our first proper look at the kiwi surf scene and after some faffing with insurance and credit cards we set off for a couple of days at the local breaks. A early session at the local beach break - perfect cruise waist to shoulder high lefts and rights proved I could still surf with out braking either my self or board every time I get wet. Again the next day we had the same, if not slightly better swell, longer period and better direction peeling right down the beach and for the first time we both started to get a proper feel for our boards. Some of the friendliest and most enjoyable surf we have had since leaving home. Time was rolling on so we got our act together and drove in a oner down to Wellington.

Sightly scared we wouldn't get on as we were booked on as a van and not a high top camper van...but the ferry men were as tired/coudnt be bothered as usual and we were straight on. The boat stank mostly due to the several million sheep and the vessel itself dated back to the dinosaurs. Seriously we have no right to complain about calmac this heap would have made the streakers look modern and well maintained. Anyhoo they served a good cupa hot choc and so we settled down to watch shrek 2. We also saw dolphins and lots of creepy old germans bikers in rather tight/non flattering leathers. Arriving in Picton we decided it looked a bit hick (how wrong were we) and decided to head NW to nicer golden sands beaches, but it got dark/started to rain so we pit stopped in a wee camp site with the worlds least-likely-to-get-any-surf beach ever.

Marleys Mellow Moments

The paragraphs are a bit of a rant, I feel the I owe the doc an apology, but when I wrote this I feel it was justified. 

Determined not to have to pay the doc-department of crookery- for another nights accomadation ie cold shower and long drop toilets, while being squeezed inbetween other smelly moter homes when we could be out everyones way camping on a nice wee quite beach with perfect wee waves....anyway they dont need my 6 doller contribution. To be fair our mood was probably not helped by the huricane force wind rocking the van or the lashing rain pounding on ever surface like a drum all through the night. The theaving DOC man was actually very plesent even if he did have a rather smug smile while he told us about the forecast. Anyway we headed south west after realising there was probably not going to be any surf/anything worth doing with the forecast. WestPort was our destination not through much choice of ours as its the only place the road goes. En route we stopped for a bite to eat and to use some toilets only to find the theaving DOC were at it again charging 5 dollers to cross a dodgie looking swing bridge over the river Buller to get to the toilets. After paying out dues to the hippies we found the toilets on our side of the river. Anyhoo having paid we decided to then go across and have a look around. The bridge was pretty cool to give them their due and we had great fun trying to bounce it. The river too was pretty spectacualar although the wee biting insects were out in some sort of rage and took it out on our ankles. On arriving in Westport we stuck to our guns and started expoloring every side road/back contary farm track. Finally after a hour or so of driving along windy wee dirt tracks we found a big tree behind some dunes (and by the sounds of it near some thunderous surf) and squeezed our wee van in under for some shelter from the constant barrage of wind and rain.

Another RANT Apologies

Day12 in the Van. Well im not sure if its something ive done or something mairi has done to piss off miss mother nature cos its still blowing a hooly and pure stoten it down. Another long and rather wobbly night in the van and we decided to go find a forecast and more supplys. The forecast confrimed what we thought it was NEVER going to stop raining.EVER. Now I know being scottish and from the westcoast you would think we would be kinda used to the rain, no serriously any time any one ever complains about the rain fall in scotland they should take a good long hard look at them selves we dont know what rain is, these lads living on the westcoast of the southisland they bring a whole new meaning to the word rain. Afer visiting some seal and some massivly blown out surf we headed south (kinda wrongly in my head still assuming the weather will get better if we go south) and also beacuse we really didnt want to go all the way back we came. So another long drive down to Franz Joseph glacier. Again we stopped en route and went to have a look at some blow holes which didnt exist-stupid DOC signing-and some rather interesting/weird lost world looking pancakerocks.