NELSON, NEW ZEALAND

Yesterday we (and our rental car) made the crossing to the South Island on the Bluebridge Ferry, which sails from Wellington across the Cook Strait, then winds its way through the typically-New Zealand-beautiful Marlborough Sound to the town of Picton. From there we drove to Nelson, about an hour away, where we met up with our old friend Thomas from Vancouver (who we first met in Fiji, and later ran into in Auckland). The three of us have decided to join forces for awhile, as we drive around the South Island and Thomas looks for a job. Today we did some rather aimless sightseeing in and around the town--the most interesting thing here seems to be their distinctive Art Deco cathedral.