Anywherefit New Zealand Day 5

We boarded the inter islander ferry and said goodbye to the North Island.  This also meant that we were leaving behind our van and trailer and picking up a new one on the other side.  This was a little nerve racking since it meant we were depending on the rental agency to have everything prepared and ready when we landed, but because the cost of bringing the van with us on the ferry was so high, we didn't have much choice.

Once on the ferry we scouted a comfortable spot for home base, then broke the group into two halves for a workout on the main deck.  Death by burpees.  Only, because the deck was wet and disgusting, we did the burpees without pushups.  This was the second time an Anywherefit trip has trained topside on a ferry, and it proved every bit as fun as the first.  In this instance we had a section of the deck all to ourselves, as it had been divided into seating and standing areas.  Because there wasn't much to see so early in the trip, no one wanted to stake a claim to the standing area.

For the most part, this WOD went as expected: everyone was cruising through the early rounds, then ground to a halt once things got into the higher teens.  A few were able to make it to the twenties, and Sven took top marks with 25 rounds.  The coolest part of this workout was the elements.  The boat was rocking and the wind was spraying mist everywhere.  Luckily for us the sun was also out and shining, making the wetness a little more bearable.

After we made it across and got our bags from the carousel, we made our way to the rental agency to discover our van was not yet ready.  We were told it was still on it's way back from a neighboring town and that we'd have to wait another hour and a half.  So we took the opportunity to walk around town and grab some lunch at a local spot.  Right away, we could tell the difference between the North and South islands.  The marina we had left in Wellington didn't hold a candle to the one in Picton where we now found ourselves.  Crystal blue water, tree covered mountains, and an easier vibe were among the things that jumped out straight away.

After a great lunch we picked up the van and started driving west toward Newton.  We made an unscheduled stop, however, and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon romping around the countryside on ATV's.  Best decision of the trip so far!  The place we stopped was a combination of sheep farm and off road wonderland.  There were zip lines, quad tracks, and paintball courses littering the place.  We got fitted up and took off climbing the trails behind our guides, dumping in and out of creeks and pausing for nice views.  When we hit the top everyone decided to ride the Skyline, a 4 person chair lift turned zip line, across the valley.  While not exactly scary, this turned out to be a really cool addition to the trip.

On the way down the mountain our guides let us ride a few laps around the "fun track" at our leisure.  Which pretty much meant go as fast as you can without flipping.  And we did.  Everyone emerged covered in dirt and mud, but totally stoked on the experience.  A short drive later we were in Newton barbecuing burgers and hashing out plans for the next days long drive to Fox Glacier.  For a day that hadn't been expected to provide much, this one had really delivered the goods.