WELCOME TO THE SOUTH: LA QUEEN CHARLOTTE DRIVE

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As always the timing is not our forte and from Queenstown, about 3 months later, we tell you our route through one of the most beautiful roads in New Zealand: Queen Charlotte Drive.

Let's go in parts: it was the year 2014, well it is not that far, and we have just arrived for the first time to the south island after about 6 months in the north of New Zealand.

The ferry we took in Wellington left us at the Picton port, a small town of a few streets, a few backpackers and a lot of nature: that if blue of the Pacific on one side, that if the emerald green of the silver fern on the other, that if a sheep squint there, that if a rare bird over there ... another thing not but wild New Zealand is a while!

As soon as we retraced our steps after having totally screwed up the road to Kaikoura we got off the ferry we found the way to the Queen Charlotte Drive, the road linking Picton and Havelock, which many claim to be one of the most beautiful in the country.

And it's really pretty: it took us 3 hours to travel the 35km of this little piece of Marlborough Sound coast! 3 hours spread like this:

1 hour: curves

2 hours: stop and photo, stop and photo, stop and photo ... * Although we deviate to find a place in a bay and spend the night.

The most spectacularof course it's the landscape: imagine a land of fjords, mountains and beaches. Add a few yellow, red, orange flowers ... To this adds a handful of silver fern, the most typical tree in New Zealand, reminiscent of a palm tree, and hills dotted with white dots: sheep are never missing! And as if the mixture was not already very good, wait to cross the road with small towns that seem taken from the west, with mailboxes in the shape of a truck, van, small house ...

Definitely yes: the Queen Charlotte Drive is worth it.

Next stage? The Abel Tasman: a nice trekking awaits us (well, we expected that it happened, fuck as you are!)

USEFUL INFO

Queen Charlotte Drive: the road, especially at the beginning, is one of these with curves, many curves!

Where to sleep: We spent the night in a free campsite where we slept in our van. It is located in Double Bay (Moetapu Bay Rd). According to the wikicamps application, which we always consult to sleep for free, the campsite is only for self-contained cars (with bathroom), although we and a few more non-self-contained cars did night without any problem (in addition there are public toilets open the 24h) The campsite is beautiful, next to a bay surrounded by mountains. Be careful not to skip the exit!

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