May 14th - Day 8 in New Zealand

After our fun adventures on the north island we are all ready to head for the south island. We said our farewells to our bus driver, Logan, and tour guide, Ron McPhail, bright and early in the morning as we head for the three hour ferry ride to Picton. Easily the biggest boat we have ever seen with ten levels, a cinema, and room to fit multiple cars and semis. We were lucky to find seats in the front row of the hull, although most of us spent most of our time on the observatory deck. It was very very windy on the open sea, but as we entered the channel it became calmer and we could appreciate the beauty of the country and wildlife...such as dolphins!

We arrived safely to the port town of Picton, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat. The fries were amazing and thankfully they had real ketchup! From there we boarded our six hour long bus ride to Christchurch. On the way we made a pit stop and had the chance to get up close to the ocean, the tide was a little quicker then the guys, as Colton, Derek, and Cody ended up with wet shoes. We had a slight delay as shepherds were moving sheep across the road to a new pasture. Our number count ranges from 300 to near a thousand. Either way there was a lot of sheep. Also pretty cool to see the herding dogs in action. We were welcomed into Christchurch with a beautiful sunset and the fog rolling in from the ocean. Tomorrow we start to see what south island has to offer for their agricultural sector.

Colton and Lauren