Blogs from Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 7

It was with some amusement that we realised our campsite for the night was next door to Colonial Knob Park ... unfortunately we didn’t have time for a visit!! A very orderly morning saw us at the ferry terminal in Wellington nearly an hour early, but we were directed straight on to the ferry - giving us the chance to stake our claim to two seats right at the front on the top deck (in the bar). I was a little concerned that being right at the front would not be good in rough seas, but needn’t have worried - the whole crossing was as smooth as can be ... Phew! We sat back and relaxed for the 3 hour crossing - it was really good to have to put our feet up and chill out ... read more

The boys worked, I continued my wine tasting adventures in Marlborough. Then then they announced they had found better accommodations at a house in Blenheim that was partially being rented to backpackers, so they moved. We made plans to spend my last weekend together. We had hoped to meet up with Adrienne and Eva who were still picking apples in Nelson and all go to see the Pancake Rocks on the West Coast for the weekend. Unfortunately, the plans fell thru, so I ended up joining the boys at their new house along with many other travelers from around the world for a huge feast of lamb and Paua. Dave, the owner of the house, was an ex-surfer, filmmaker, and all around adventurist. He promised to take us to snorkel for Paua at a very secluded, ... read more

Sorry folks - a lot here but this is a week's worth. 7/2/10 - Nev and Sue took us on a great trip up the Ruahine range and we were able to look down on Dannevirke and the Wairarapa. We left them, travelling over the Saddle Rd, with a quick stop at the Wind Farm. Down through Woodville to Masterton, then Bideford to drop in on Mike and Fi. 8/2/10 - After staying at the Masterton Camping Ground (like out of the 60’s, although comfortable and clean cabins), we travelled to Wellington to catch the 1pm Bluebridge Ferry, arriving in Picton at about 4.45pm as it was running late. On the ferry we caught up with one Kerikeri resident, Gary, and an ex-Kerikeri couple, Bon and Joan. The drive around the very picturesque Queen Charlotte Drive, ... read more

On February 4th, I got back on the Stray bus and headed back up to Picton. This is where I left Stray to go to Akaroa, and this is where I left them again on Feb 4th. The bus continued on the Abel Tasman, but I stayed in Picton so that I could do the Queen Charlotte Track (QCT) along the Marlborough sounds. I rested up and bought my needed supplies for a couple of days, hired camping gear from my hostel, and on Feb 6th I embarked on my first multi-day hike. It took me 4 nights/5 days to complete the 71 KM (44 mile) QCT. Most of it was quite easy walking with the exception of the third and fourth days which were more steep and higher up that the other days. Day #3 ... read more

Well we certainly felt the full force of the waves on the Cook Strait, after a fairly rough crossing both Lisa and I arrived in a misty Picton with limited visibility of the sounds. The wind was so strong that we spent our time coat surfing on deck which seemed like the thing to do hence the lack of any ferry photos. Well what to do on a rainy day in Picton? We decided to go and see the Edwin Fox, a migrant ship (now more of a hulk really) that was built c. 1853 to sail the voluntary migrants from GB to NZ. It has an interesting history and had been used for many ventures and cargoes, even as an Australian prison ship where the surname of Holloway appeared on the inventory of Australian prisoners ... read more