Happy Campers

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January 29th


We woke even earlier than reception did and set off for the Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton. We left grey dreary Wellington that was immersed in clouds and drizzle and soon we were out on the Cook Straight. Katherine hit the hay on the boat while I got to watch a bit of English footy. Soon the sun was out and there was bright green land on either side; we had entered the Queen Charlotte Sound (or kind of sea loch to those not in the know).


So, our baggage arrived airport style from the conveyor and then we hopped on the bus to Nelson. It was a slow and bouncy journey that both Katherine and I were only too happy to get off once it had reached its destination. We were met by a friend of whoever it was we rented the campervan off because, naturally, there was another family who blah blah blah…. Anyway, it was about 4pm, instead of 3pm, when we were set free with wheels and our lives packed in draws that fold away.


We headed east and for the Marlborough Wine Region. It took about three hours to the first stop of our trip. We had been travelling through vineyards and then climbed through a golden-yellow valley, there was dead grass everywhere and it felt like no other place either of us had been. We pulled off Route 1 and simply parked up on a small road verge. We had a very young vineyard to our left and a grassy yellow field to our right and a farm ahead of us with a cracking set of mountains in the distance.


We cooked up a prawn stir-fry, popped a local cork (I mean ‘screwed a screw-top’, NZ was the first to introduce this but it doesn’t sound as glamorous) and watching the sunset over the great hills. After the sun had set, we stuck our heads out of the back doors while in bed and watched the stars and satellites circling above us. Katherine named our van the ‘four-star and moon hotel’.

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Photos

First night in the wild
sunset with the yellow field behind and a vineyard left of shot