South Island Here we come

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Up Early to catch the ferry from Wellington to Picton on the South Island, what a change of weather – it is sunny and calm – an excellent crossing with no major waves or swells to cause sea sickness. The sail down the Marlborough Sound was fantastic and we would have paid the fare alone to get these views. Met a very friendly Kiwi who gavea running commentary of where we going and what we were seeing – whilst very interesting it did get a bit wearing after the first hour – so we made our excuses and decided to see for ourselves.
Picked up the new car in Picton – a Toyota Camry – nice car but not the same grunt as the Ford Falcon. A quiet drive down to Kaikoura and an excellent hotel – The Aspen Court. The view from the hotel reminds us of the small town in California that had the Sierra Nevada mountains as a backdrop – it is the same here.
Kaikoura is a small town with a good atmosphere – went to eat at the local pub (Robbies Bar) and bought raffle ticket for the Coastguards – and won!! A prize of a meat platter to cook – with no cooking facilities we gave it to the Hotel owner.
Saturday weather has returned to rain and cloudy – we went to the local Primary School market (Car boot in UK) – some excellent home made jams,chutneys etc. But unfortunately we have no where to store them. So it is now time to catch up on the washing. We are looking forward to the Whale watching tomorrow morning and the hoped for sunshine.

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Photos

Marlborough Sound
Scene from the Wellington - Picton Ferry

View From Kaikoura Hotel
The view fron the Aspen Court Hotel at Kaikoura

View from Seal Colony car Park
Kaikoura seal colony car park - view of rocks and Pacific

Kaikoura Main Street
Looking down the main street of Kaikoura