Part 2 Of My Trip

I am finished with my travels on the North Island.  Tomorrow morning I take the ferry from the North to the South Island.  Everyone tells me that South Island is even more beautiful than the North Island.  I will be joining a new Straybus and group and we'll be traveling south along the west coast of South Island.  First, we'll drive through the Marlborough vineyard and the town of Nelson, then stopping for the night at the town of Marahau.  This is at the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park where we'll spend 2 nights.  Activities here include skydiving, microlighting (don't know what it is), wine tasting (sign me up!), kayaking, etc.
Our next stop is Punakaiki, an old mining town.  After Punakaiki, our next stop is the Franz Josef National Park, where we'll spend 2 nights at a lodge in the middle of the rainforest.  Franz Josef is famous for its glacier.  From Franz Josef we go to a town called Wanaka, where we see lakes carved out by glaciers.  Picturesque Queenstown is my next stop after Wanaka.  This is usually where visitors go to Milford Sound and other southern tourist sites start their trip.  It has a population of about 11,000 but is considered one of the big cities in New Zealand, especially on South Island.  Milford Sound is probably the most famous tourist attraction in New Zealand.  I can't wait to see it.
I will spend 3 nights at Queenstown before starting the 3rd leg of my trip and joining a different Straybus and group.

So who are the travelers on my first Straybus?  Almost all of them are in their 20s', except one lady I know is in her mid-30s'.  There is no age limit for the bus but most of the activities are quite physically strenuous.  If you are not in good physical condition, you will not enjoy the trip although participation is voluntary.
The majority of the travelers are from Europe:  Dutch, lots of Germans, Swedish, Norwegian, British (Irish and English), Swiss, Canadians, and very few Americans.  There is only 1 other American on the first bus.  A lot of the Europeans are combining work and travel.  They usually have a 1-year work visa, which allows them to work up to a year.  They may work in restaurants, hostels, hotel, etc, for a few months, then travel again.  Some have worked in Australia before coming to New Zealand.  A couple of German girls have been working in Australia picking tomatoes.  They told me that they get paid more than in Germany.  They are on a tight budget so they tend to stay in the cheapest hostels, which are usually the dirties and noisiest.
Like I mention before, our driver's name is Seagull.  He is about 35 years old and born in NZ, near Wellington,  He has been driving for Stray Travel for about 4 years.  He looks remarkably like Lance Armstrong.  Below is his picture and picture of others in the group.

Seagull, our driver

3 German Girls

German, Dutch, Norwegian, English travelers

Group Picture at the Maori Center