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

Well, I really have landed on my feet here - I'm currently living for (nearly) free in the middle of the prettiest wine region you can imagine. Ah, it's a hard life! Since I last wrote anything on here (sorry Jessica) I have moved, if only briefly, to Picton at the North of the South island. I'm working at a hostel called Tombstone, named so as it is next to the graveyard (they even have a coffin lid for the front door!) though it is not at all creepy. In fact it's so cushy that it has full sky tv and a hot tub where you can watch the sun go down over the harbor. Really hard life! The weather here is much better than it was down in Queenstown, the other day was so warm ... read more

The sun is blasting and I'm chilling out in Picton. I think this place is like Vancouver or the west coast; if the sun shines its amazing but often it rains and I hear it can be depressing. The two days I have been here it has been sunny. There was rain at night but it made everything feel cozy inside. There is more to Picton than meets the eye, folks. If I were backpacking and going to and from the ferry terminal I would rest here a day or so. First, its a quiet town/village with great views, do-able hiking trails, good bars and restaurants, an aquarium, maritime museum, and a pretty waterfront with marina. I love the inscription on the World War I memorial near the water that reads 'perfect peace'. Yup, that's what ... read more

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 ... read more

As I am leaving NZ soon i have to get north to Auckland. A last party in Queenstown before i started to travel north along the westcoast. After 2 hrs sleep and a scenic drive over the Hast pass my first stop was in Franz Jospef glacier. I did a nice daywalk there the next day and hitch hiked to Fox glacier. Really nice weather btw (on one of the wettest coast on the planet) The next stop was already Westport. We did stop at the Pancakes rocks so, which were worth seeing. As that was a long drive I couldn't really do anything with the rest of the day so I just done some sport. The following day I borrowed a bike from the hostel and cycled 20km to Cape Foulwind, where a seal colony. ... read more

It's back on the train for me this morning, but not before I have another of those fantastic bowls of tea, and some breakfast. Bacon and scrambled eggs on thick heavy brown toast.  Today I'm travelling from Kiakoura to Picton, and again it's far more relaxing on the train than the bus and before you know it I'm in Picton. This is where the ferry goes from to get to the north island, but that's for tomorrow, today I want to explore the queen Charlotte sound, ideally by canoe but I've arrived to late for the afternoon portage so maybe I can get it in tomorrow. Today I settle for a relaxing boat trip. I sit alone on the back deck of the boat, the spray from the prow swings round and I'm cooled by a ... read more