Christchurch to Wellington

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It was still dark when Dean dropped us off. The girls were not showing the same enthusiasm I was for the trip to Picton. In hindsight, they should have joined Dean on the plane. But I loved it. Now I want to do the one that goes over the mountain. This one, however, hugs the coast for a fair while but also travels through scenic farm land, wine country and has the beautiful mountains to the west.

Within the first hour, the girls had eaten the snacks which were supposed to last the train and ferry. Great. I left them to wallow in their misery and spent quite a bit of time out on the viewing carriage. Quite chilly but a wonderful way to see the countryside. Inside the squeaky carriage, the girls played on their phones, oblivious to the magnificent scenery out the window. This journey is really meant for train-spotters, so I just ignored their ambivalence and sipped my coffee whilst enjoying the world slowly passing by.

Arriving in Picton, we were greeted with grey skies and light rain but the walk to the ferry isn't far, so we didn't get very wet. The huge arrow pointing to 'mild' on the gigantic crossing conditions indicator was a positive sign - I'm not sure what I would have done if it was pointing to 'stormy'. After we arrived in Wellington, Dean told me that the crossing can be quite dangerous and the ferry back to Picton had been cancelled due to the weather. If I had known that, I would have been very anxious prior to boarding but it was probably best that I had no idea. Princess Charlotte Sound was lovely and we were able to appreciate the view without heavy listing or seasick passengers, which have often impeded some of our ocean adventures in the past.

We spent the majority of the time in the cafe area playing cards and feeling sorry for the man and his daughter who had their seats taken when they got up to get a meal. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of chairs with a view and many were taken up by sleeping passengers who were not able to appreciate anything with their eyes closed! Anyway, we arrived slightly late in the lovely port of Wellington and spent a very stuffy half hour waiting for the cars to drive off so we could 'safely' leave the ship.

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