To the South Island (Taupo -> Wellington -> Motueka) - 27 - 30 December 2008

After Taupo we drove on down to Wellington where we spent the night and caught the Interislander ferry down to the South Island.  I can't say if it's one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world; my ferry experience is somewhat limited.  I can say that it was relatively uneventful and that they do a nice job of providing distraction for any kiddos on board.  In addition to the two movie theaters (showing Madagascar 2 and High School Musical 3) they also have a play area and put on a magic show.

A word of advice if you ever end up on one of these ferry rides:  Get to the reclining chairs early.  We missed our chance and ended up sitting in one of the lounges.  Also, if you're asked if you want chocolate or cinnamon on your cappuccino, know that you can only choose one.  Jen tried to get both and got served a steaming cup of attitude.

We spent out time in Motueka at the Avalon Manor hotel, and it was really nice.  I'm noticing a trend, though.  All of the places we're staying have big flat-screen TVs, but no one has an HD signal.  Plus, you get about 6-10 channels.  Oh well, we're not really doing this trip to watch TV (or eat McDonald's).

In Motueka we went Kayaking.  This was my first time in a kayak, but I've been in a canoe plenty of times, so it wasn't too unsettling.  We went with Kaiteriteri Kayaks and had a very nice time.  We did the Seals and Remote Coast trip but in spite of the picture we never had a seal jump up on our kayak.

We did manage to get plenty close to seals, though.  Here's our guide, Gareth, offering up a high five: