1/1. Driving from Te Anau to Queenstown is 2.5 ‐ 3 hours. A couple of big lakes later, we arrived a bit before 8pm. It's the adventure sport mecca. Quite lively, many people walking on the streets. 
We walked about in its botanic garden across from the downtown traffic, on a small peninsular in Lake Wakatipu. Small, but nicely arranged, with clean toilets. Quite some locals or tourists jog or just hang out here. A camper van parked at the garden says "Women don't want to hear what you think. They want to hear what they think in a deeper voice." Yes, a lot of funny camper vans in New Zealand. Most common is Wicked Campers and Jucy.
I wasn't able to book a room within reasonable price in Queenstown within a month (possible earlier). Booked an Airbnb in Cromwell, which turned out to be perfect. Drove by the very first bungy jump operation: Kawarau Bridge, and a series of wineries. Cromwell is in an agriculture area. Our host, the young Belgium - Germany couple and 3 kids host guests in a standalone suite above garage, with a separate sitting area, lovely lavender driveway. My first shower in 5 days.1/2. Breakfast was laid downstairs at 8. Good bread and fresh egg.
After Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, we headed again into forested mountains and rain. Did a short hike to Blue Pool in Mt Aspiring national park. Quite a few brave souls attempting swimming in the glacier blue river. Unable to stop for a picnic due to sandflies, we crossed Haast Pass without any stops and down to the west coast. On a clear day, this would be a fine drive. We had White Bait for lunch. Quite fresh. The fish itself doesn't taste much.
Continued north to the supposedly most spectacular drive by Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph. Both nice looking small towns. But the mist and thick clouds marred the scenery. Hiked 1 mile to Fox Glaicer overlook. The glacier is black. The glacier carved valley looks nice. Lots of tourists. Stayed at Hokitika for the drizzling night. The 4th place we inquired has rooms available. Seaview Lodge above the town has view of the ocean. Shared bath. But clean and well equipped. Shortly after 9pm, we walked to the beach, somewhat bleak. Then to the main attraction: Glowworm Dell. A lot of people. Quite a site. A treed cul-de-sac, glowworm lit in the dirt. Many of them.
1/3. Continued north in rain. Punakaiki is our main stop today for the Pancake Rocks and a Blow Hole. No blow, but the rocks are interesting. Lots of people and tour buses. Wheelchair accessible paved pathway meandering various view points. Touristy.Abel Talsman Coastal Track
I was hoping to pick up my camping ticket at Motueka's i-Site. But seems unnecessary, other than a printout of my confirmation email. Alas, I lost the printout, so had to print one at the I-site. 50c each page. In the end, no one checked those pages.Abel Tasman national park has another Great Walk (out of 9), which is one way, goes along the coast for a number of days. The best way to enjoy it is by kayak. Ed, a fellow hiker in Portland, told me that he peddled with dolphins out here. We saw none, since we didn't go far into the park. The track starts at Marahau. The drive from Motueka to Marahau via the small town Kaiteriteri is narrow and windy. Seems everyone around Kaiteriteri is by the beach. Just 15Km. At the north end of Marahau, a beautiful shelter with seats and displays, and nearby flush toilet and a big parking lot. But no water faucet. Odd. I went to the cafe next door to fill water.
The hike starts from the shelter. First it goes across a big mud flat over 3 nice walkways. Then it goes into the woods. I booked a campsite at Coquille Bay, second site along the track (~45 min in), and one of the smaller ones. Max 12 person or 6 tents. 
The bay is a short yet steep walk down from the main track. Looks very inviting. A small grassy patch for tents. A toilet stinks so bad that my eyes watered. We pitched our tent away from other tents, close to a the nest of an oystercatcher couple. Whoever was at the nest squawked a lot. The water isn't warm. But not too cold. I saw trash here and there, not a lot, but still disturbing. 
Decided to check out the next campsite at Apple Tree Bay. Walked over half an hour, returned just past Simonet Creek. Saw the big beach. Looks quite nice. But didn't find the side track to go down. Back on the main track, in time for sunset.There are 3 unpleasant smells along the trail: Burned/rot vegetation, medicine, urine. By far, the last is more common. Birds sing constantly, which is nice. I tested my new toy on the beach, an inflatable lounge chair. Works alright, comfortable. But unable to enjoy for long, as sand flies soon found me, and there are many.
1/4, sunny. Up at 5:30am for the sunrise. By 6:00, everything was awash in golden color. A weka was checking out the tent site. We packed out at 7am. Back to the car at 7:40.
Drove to Picton ferry via Nelson and Blenheim. Nelson harbor looks quite lively. Blenheim is the wine capital of New Zealand (Marlborough Region). We visited the "cellar door"s (tasting room in NZ) of two wineries: Wairau River and Huia. Both have nice white wines. Tried a few. Bought a Pinon Gris rose from Wairau and a Sauvignon Blanc from Huia.
Dropped off the car before noon at Hertz, right by the ferry terminal. Forgot a few things on the car :( The terminal is spacious. Big bags have to be checked in. Only has paid wifi. 
Our ferry is at 1:30pm. The ferry boat is huge. 10 decks. The observation deck is outside. Deck 8 is a good place to hang out. Front tables by the windows are the best option. Deck 2 has a cinema ($10) and kids area. Free but slow wifi for 100MB. I only managed to read one web page, wasn't able to get online again. Toilet seems clean, but a bit smelly. Calm and beautiful islands in the first hour. Once in the open sea, the clouds thickened, water got rougher. I took a binocular outside hoping to see some big water creature. The wind on deck 10 blew the glasses off my face. I spent the rest of the journey in a haze. Total crossing time is about 3 hours. Welcome to the North Island!
