Fox River to Wellington

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Wed 27th February we left the beach bach and headed north in a slight drizzle - for only the second time in two weeks. The road twists and turns between two mountain ranges through the Buller Gorge with the river on our left. There were beautiful views and rivers all the way along running off the mountains into the sea. East of Nelson on the northern coast, we stopped at Pelorus Bridge which was advertised as a good spot to swim. We didn't, it was too cold, but I did have a paddle.
We drove on to Havelock at the bottom of Pelorus Sound to our Airbnb and went to the Mussel Pot restaurant, renowned worldwide for green - lipped mussels. We shared a selection cooked in different ways, and were then surprised by another pair of friends from Leytonstone (John and Jess) who had just arrived from North Island!
The next morning after a short but scenic journey to Picton on a road full of hairpin bends, we took the Interislander Ferry to Wellington. Three and a half hours in a very comfortable lounge with lunch and drinks included, with unfortunately no sign of dolphins, and we arrived at the capital and drove a few miles north to Petone, where we stay in a rented house for four nights.
This is the main reason for our trip here : Jane’s long lost relatives. They take us on a trip round the peninsula of Wellington, showing us the district and where they have lived.
Wellington is busier than any of the other cities we have been to, but motorists are still courteous and considerate.
We meet other friends of Jane's who take us for a meal on the vibrant dock area which combines modern leisure facilities with a working dock still. We visit the Te Papa museum, Wellington's must - see museum, and spend hours in various sections learning about the history of Maoris, settlers, geology, and the Gallipoli campaign. The Terracotta warriors are here too, but we don't queue for those. Eminem has a gig here on the Saturday night, drawing a crowd of 20,000 apparently, but we don't go to that either.
Wellington is rammed with people on Sunday, there is a huge cruise ship in, and buses shuttle the punters into the town centre.

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