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Published: December 6th 2008
Leaving Wellington
Farewell wet and windy wonderful Wellington!The ferry to South Island Thursday 4th November 2008
The ferry crossing was everything it was promised to be! It wasn’t just a journey; it was a destination in itself. The day started cloudy but brightened up and by the time we were halfway across the Cook Straight the visibility was better, providing us with an unforgettable trip through the Queen Charlotte Sound to the South Island harbour at Picton. The inter-island ferries are quite small compared to cross-channel ferries between England and France, despite the journey being three times the length and so, when we saw a pod of dolphins playfully following along the side of the ship we were able to see them really clearly, especially since the water was a clear aquamarine blue. There were about twenty dolphins in the pod, quite small ones, called “dusky dolphins”. Eventually they failed to keep up with the speed of the ferry and fell behind, but it was a joy to see their leaping antics.
The ferry journey took just over three hours and the final hour offered such dramatic scenery that just about every passenger was at the rail to quietly take in the views. First we navigated the
Kia-ora South Island!
Queen Charlotte Sound. Doesn't do it justice! narrow channel between the mainland and Arapawa Island (called Troy Channel) and then entered the majestic Queen Charlotte Sound, passing dozens of islands, some uninhabited and others inhabited but only accessible by boat due to the steep mountainous terrain. Our photos simply do not do justice to the scenery; probably the poorest photos we’ve taken so far due to cloudy and very windy conditions but they are good enough to remind us of the stunning first glimpses of South Island.
After docking in Picton, we drove south about 150 kilometres to Kaikoura on the east coast where we are staying a couple of nights. The Kaikoura Ranges border the bay and they are snow-capped, rising sharply from the grey sand and shingle beaches. After sorting out our pitch, we took a stroll through the little resort, had a few beers and a curry. The owner of the Indian restaurant was Fijian, from Lautoka, so we had a good chat to him about Fiji. We also got some details on whale-watching. Kaikoura is rated as the best place in New Zealand for whale watching but it isn’t the best time of year and a storm is forecast for tonight, so we
Kiakoura mountain range
East coast South Island haven’t booked; we’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Friday 5th November 2008
Well, it rained a lot last night and the sea and sky were very grey this morning so it wasn’t good for whale watching. Instead we walked out to the Kaikoura Peninsula to see the seals and then had a chill out day, got the washing done and enjoyed the views. We have a great camp site right on the rugged grey beach with the mountains behind. Can’t be bad!
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