We left the South Island on Easter Sunday and traveled on the car ferry back to the North Island where we will stay for two weeks before flying home.  We have already toured the east coast of the North Island, driven east to west around the South Island, and now we will drive around the central and west side of the North Island to complete our journey.

The ferry ride was very unpleasant for me.  It started off fine but once we left the channel and got out into the ocean, the choppiness of the water and rocking of the boat made me feel very nauseous, even with two Dramamine in my system.  I spent the last two thirds of the trip sitting outside on one of the upper decks freezing with the cold and wind, but the cold air helped to fight the nausea.  How I envy people who read in moving vehicles and sit in the back seat of a car without getting sick!!

We arrived in Wellington late in the day and found an Italian restaurant within walking distance of our motel that was open on Easter.  The next day before heading out of town we drove around the Wellington Harbor for a last look at this charming capital city.  We were once again captivated by all the houses crowded on the hillsides and surprised to find surfers in the water around the harbor area.

We left Wellington and headed along the coast to Wanganui for a one night stay.  The next morning we drove to New Plymouth.  We took a slight detour to visit Egmont National Park where we took a short hike to Dawson Falls.  Since it was a cloudy day threatening showers, we did not have a clear view of Mt Taranaki in the distance.  Mt Taranaki is the North Island’s most majestic peak.  It is not often you see a conical volcano rising abruptly from sea level surrounded by beautiful beaches!

We spent two nights in New Plymouth.  We had planned to spend some time walking the beach there but our only full day in the town brought heavy rains.  The rain gave us a good excuse to have a nice “at home” day to relax and watch some tv, work on the blog and rest.

Some observations:

• New Zealand is an agricultural and dairy farming country.  So why are milk, fruits and vegetables so expensive?