A ferry ride and the hitch hike south (~ Dec 18th)

My week in Wellington was over and I had turned my back on the north island for now. Time to visit the south and see whats going on there.
The ferry ride was ok. Many people around (of course germans as well) tried to sleep or were engaged in talking, I tried getting a little bit of sleep myself and visited the upper deck to have a nice view around Wellington and see the ocean. Unfortunately I didn't see any dolphins or whatever, because it was getting dark soon.
Once the ferry arrived we were taken by bus to the terminal where I got my luggage, including my Guitalele, which was alright, and the bus diver told us she'd take us to the hostels for free! Awesome! (because it was raining) I took the bus all the way to my hostel and luckily I called ahead I'd be late, so I could get inside and was able to go to sleep quickly. The owners had hid a note telling me which room and bed I could have and leaving me the door code and so on for the stay.
The next day I paid and planned my next move. Sönke and Ronja were traveling by car onward and were expecting to meet me latest in Dunedin, maybe in Christchurch. So I extended my stay in Picton, hoping to get a bus, though these were all booked or very expensive. I hesitated and decided to probably hitch a hike. But that was still a few days ahead.

You might be able to tell, but it was crazy windy on the deck above! After all, we were still in Wellington ;-)

Nothing much to see.. just the Peninsula on which the studios and the WETA Cave are on

In the hostel we were able to take bikes for free and of course get infos, maps and so on about the small town. So I grabbed a bike and started driving around town. I decided to check out a viewpoint and visited the ocean during the afternoon. Supposedly they had a Maori village at that viewpoint, though no archeological survey was done and just a few "holes" in the ground showed that people had lived here, who dug them.
The view was nice and you could see the ferry moving through the amazing fjord towards the small town Picton. In all: this landscape was breathtaking.

The old Maori hut sites

View from the top, before wakling down to the "beach"

A slight turn to the left reveals this, a small Maori Totem reveals that a site once was here (though that was placed much later)

Even further to the left, all the peninsulas and so on, behind that is Picton, where I started my bike ride!

Down on the beach, just a short walk from the parking pot at the top

How I would love to know how to sail... no borders, just being able to go wherever you want to (as long as food and wind don't run out)

On the way back I encountered these birds, it was a mother with little babies

though I took many pictures none on which you can see them... vampire birds maybe?

In the evening I made some dinner and got to know some people. Some were on bicycle tours around the world and had visited alot of places. Though I can't imagine doing that. Because it seems they were almost constantly on the road, they must have saved alot (really alot) of money, the one guy I met had not worked in over a year and a half and was only in "expensive" countries (he flew from Turkey to Australia then New Zealand, of course you don't have travel expenses, but still accomodation and food has to be paid etc). I don't know how he did it. Anyway I also met some people from France and the USA, who I had a nice dinner with.
After another day of relaxing I checked out and I was ready to try out hitchhiking.
From the lady who runs the hostel I got a hint, where the best spot to wait is (at the street where the ferry road and main town road meet). So I dropped my bags there and held up my sign: "Christchurch"

I stood there waving my thumb and waiting, after about 10 minutes a car stopped! The guy wasn't driving all the way to Christchurch but to Blenheim (pronounced: blennem). Cause I didn't know what he meant (I didn't get his pronounciation) I simply agreed and got in (very smart ^^' ). He was a nice guy, Toby, who was on a working trip in Picton and Nelson and actually lived in Christchurch, but was taking a flight down there and not driving (the car was rented from Nelson). He said he wanted to improve his karma for hitchhiking, because he used to hitch a hike some times in the past now and wanted to get some in the future and so stopped for me ;-)
Because of the earthquake the direct highway to Chch (Christchurch) was blocked and there was a huge detour through the inner part of the island. So instead of a 3 hour drive it takes about 6 via the inland route. He dropped me off at the junction where the detour starts and where there was a spot for cars to stop after a turn (so they were slow!). Great place to wait!
Unfortunately my karma seemed to have failed me and I was waiting... I always smiled at the people and tried to stay in a good mood. For 15 minutes. 30 minutes. After 45 I got some food and still tried to wave my thumb and show my cardboard sign indicating my destination. After about an hour finally a guy stopped and took me all the way down to Chch! He was even so kind to drop me at the hostel =)

He, Max, was a fresh police officer in a small town a little south of Chch and had attended a wedding near Picton, so was on his way back home. I can imagine him being happy to find me, because the route through the island turned out to be very... boring... Nothing much to see. No spectacular mountains, some nice forests, but nothing special if you have been to New Zealand. So pretty average I'd say for Kiwi standards.
And because of the hills etc the radio doesnt always work, so a partner to talk to is definately a good thing!
We talked about our travel experiences, his trips to europe and how he got into the police. He also told me the most probable time a police officer in NZ has to fire his gun, is when a sheep is running on a highway. Running after them only results in hilarious youtube videos and isn't too effective, so shooting is most of the time the easiest and best solution. We talked about other things, like the gun laws, university stories and had a good time. I missed out to ask about any contact details to maybe stay in touch...

We drove all the way through to Chch, I invited him to dinner, but he said he'd get dinner at his parents who live close by. So we parted ways. It was a nice trip and I wish him well =)
So after a little more than 7,5 hours I had reached Christchurch at about 6 pm.

Greetings from Picton! Hey Mate! That's a Weird spot to hold your club...