Backpacking Part One: Nelson and Abel Tasman

✒️ Written by: Abbie New Zealand's South Island has some incredible places on offer, but they are all very remote. Setting our eyes on all the sights was an absolute must, but how exactly to do so was a tricky problem that needed solving. After much research and deliberation, we decided to use the Intercity bus network to get us from A to B (then C to D to E, and so on...) and each purchased a Flexipass which we used right from Rotorua in the North Island down to the very South. After paying upfront for our Flexipasses with 60 hours of travel each, all we needed to do was book bus trips for no additional charge, and watch our remaining hours dwindle away. After hopping round the North Island equipped with two huge suitcases and two rucksacks, we did not want to drag so much luggage around with us everywhere we went. Luckily, we were able to keep our suitcases at our family friends' house in Blenheim while we crammed everything we need for 11 days on the road in our two backpacks…