ALL HELL BREAKING......

We took a leisurely trip from Napier to Wellington today...all the way were we hearing predictions of a major winter storm hitting.... Except this is summer in NZ! We are supposed to get up and take the inter island ferry to the South Island tomorrow. This ferry is NOT small, carrying cars, large trucks, and even railroad cars. It goes across a straight and takes over 3 hours to cross and is known for dicey seas and rough crossings. But tomorrow it is canceled! A rarity that our tour team says has NEVER happened in all the years they have been doing these trips. The reason is the predicted winds of up to 150 kilometers an hour and waves 7 meters! That is a major storm in this sea, and I guess the powers that be do not want to mess with mother nature. So, we are "stranded" in downtown Wellington in a hotel right in the middle of town. Not a bad place to ride it out, but definitely making a mess with our plans. We do not know what's going to happen, as we need another night stay here and have to cancel on the other side, but for now we are leaving it all into the hands of our trusty tour team, Nancy and Pete. We just got back from the hotel bar/ restaurant, where most of the discussion was on the weather and what was going to happen. For now, we are safe and dry and just waiting....