All good things have to come to an end...

Well then, bike trip is wrapped up. On day 21, just shy of the 1000km mark, we found the vehicle of our dreams - a 1983 Toyota Hiace van, in Richmond just south of Nelson. Good and bad - we wanted to find one shortly in Welly anyway, so this just chilled us out a bit for our return to Wellington, just having to find a flat. But, the bike trip was pretty much over.

Reflecting back, we had an awesome time, so a ton of spectacular country side and burnt off all those calories from what became a daily ice cream habit. We still ditched that van for a couple of days and made a hugely worthwhile journey to Farewell Spit and Golden Bay - spectacular hardly describes that place, with probably the most beautiful beach we have seen on this planet - Wharariki Beach, up near the spit. Imagine this, a 7km bike along a gravel road to a small car park, then off on a tramp through some hills in sheep pasture, with sheep milling all about. Soon the land changes and you catch a glimpse of blue water and golden sand on a virtually desserted beach, minus the seals hanging about here and there. Simply incredible - the wind is ripping through the rock formations, arches and tunnels and the beach is wide with golden sand and rushing waves. You can bet that if any of you come for a visit, we'll be taking you here and making the trek in there with our windsurf kit! We were SO happy we went there. In fact, the whole Golden Bay area is super laid back, unpopulated and unspoilt. We'll be heading back at Christmas time.

So, what does this beast of ours look like, well here she is... Our new wheels, her name is Storm. We've kitted her out with a temporary bed, but soon when we get 'er back to Welly, we'll fix her up with a nicer bed/boardsail racking creation. Can't wait!

More good news, back in Welly now and we've found a cute little flat in a suburb called Roseneath with a beautiful view overlooking Evans Bay!