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The Wellington chapter has come to an end. On May 2nd we headed across the Cook Straight by ferry to Picton.
The ferry journey was surprisingly calm - Laura still managed to get queasy but it really could have been a lot worse. Wellington disappeared out of view very quickly and with that, all our connections to the city were cut.
The latter half of the ferry journey (about an hour and a half) was spent going through the Marlborough Sounds. These fiord-like surroundings made for a stunning first meeting with the South Island, and certainly served to whet our appetite for the rest of the island. The whole area felt somewhat familiar - millions of years ago this would have been connected to where Wellington sits now on the North Island, but the Sounds certainly boast some serious beauty - way above what Wellington has to offer.
What was so striking was the scale of the Sounds - there seemed to be an endless maze of hills, bluffs, bays and water inlets - but also the lack of spoiling. Very little evidence of human interference can be seen. There’s the odd little batch (the Kiwi term for
a little holiday home), each with a jetty and a small rowing boat pulled up onto the shingle, but very little else.
Picton itself is far smaller than we expected. With 2,000 people arriving by ferry daily, we anticipated there to be slightly more going on. Instead, however, besides the ferries coming into the tiny harbour, you would have no idea that this was a crucial transport hub in New Zealand. Like a lot of New Zealand that we have seen so far, Picton comes across like I would expect a quiet American backwater to. There is a second-hand shop, a hardware store, a small grocery store, and a couple of bars.
On our first night (we arrived at about 6pm) we made ourselves some grub in the very pleasant and homely hostel, then went for a wander through the town, which didn’t take very long. On the water-front was a rather striking WW1 memorial with some very European surnames etched into the bronze plaque, and beyond that was the sea. That’s about it for Picton! So of course what do you do next? You go to the Irish pub of course! It was a tiny little place,
came highly recommended by the hostel, and actually felt like a proper pub. Laura had some of the house red, I had some Wild Turkey bourbon, and we sat and watched a couple eat two cows - almost literally. Thank heavens I wasn’t hungry after my stir-fried courgettes and rice…
On Monday we headed out for a few walks. We walked along a peninsular and tucked into a couple of bananas and our flask of tea. This pleasant scene was only disturbed by a few panicked dashes away from the water due to passing ferries (Dad - I am reminded of an incident involving a small cruise ship and me and you on a pedalo). In the afternoon we made our way up a hill to a lookout - this provided fantastic views of the sounds and the falling autumn sun. Much of New Zealand has peace and solitude, and we sure found some up that hill.
So now I sit in the hostel on a comfy couch writing this blog. Laura is sitting next to me clutching a cup of tea, and I’ve been served with a cup of tea - unfortunately I’ve been the victim of
one of Laura’s infamous flavour errors - our assortment of tea bags are not labelled. One thing’s for sure - Laura would fail the good old Masterchef taste-test!
I like writing this blog - it gives me an unanswerable power to abuse my doting partner.
All this exercise has left us rather peckish, and when you’re in a place of stunning natural coastal beauty, that means one thing: FISH AND CHIPS! I’ve been eating like a saint for the past 3 months, and it’s starting to show. Even my fingers have got skinnier. (Mum, please don’t worry. It really isn’t that bad. I’m hamming it up to justify the fish and chips)
Tomorrow we get the bus to Nelson, and from there we make our way down the West Coast. In 5 days we’ll be in a helicopter, which will be a first for the pair of us. Fortunately, thanks to Stuart Vipond owning Microsoft Flight Simulator 1998, should anything happen to the pilot, I’m sure I can remember what to do. Stuart, I seem to remember you always trying to land the thing on skyscrapers, which never, ever, ever, ever worked...
Righto then, I smell
something fishy....
Much love to you all
Sam and Laura
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Gem
non-member comment
Glad to see you guys are having fun and seeing so much of this beautiful country! Sam, things are a little different around here without you already....quieter may be the word...and Laura I'm glad you weren't too sick on that horrible floating excuse of a ship! anyhoo, hope you enjoyed the "fush n chups" note the kiwi accent hey! speak soon x