Well, we made it. We are on the South Island and I survived the ferry ride. Actually Cook Strait was pretty calm today and I was even able to have breakfast during the ride over. Kathy struggled a little bit but nothing too serious.
I must admit that it was with a little apprehension that I opened a corner of the curtain this morning. How hard the wind was blowing was going to determine what type of day I was going to have. There was hardly any and my day quickly became a whole lot better.
We had to be at the ferry dock by 7:30AM so we quickly packed up and headed for the dock. There was a fairly long line but they very efficiently got everybody loaded.
I must admit that it was with a little apprehension that I opened a corner of the curtain this morning. How hard the wind was blowing was going to determine what type of day I was going to have. There was hardly any and my day quickly became a whole lot better.
We had to be at the ferry dock by 7:30AM so we quickly packed up and headed for the dock. There was a fairly long line but they very efficiently got everybody loaded.
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| Actual Ship we were on docked in Picton |
The ride was pretty uneventful until we entered Tory Channel and the Queen Charlotte Sound. Neither the Sound nor the Channel were very wide which gave us excellent fodder to feed our visual appetites. I also managed to take a couple of pictures.
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| Picton, New Zealand |
Again, the crew handled the off loading very efficiently and before we knew it we were in downtown Picton. We went for a walk around town in order to get our land legs back before driving along down the coast. We are planning to spend more time in Picton on the way back up.
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| Picton Harbor |
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| Downtown Picton |
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| Downtown Picton |
One of the drives we wanted to make was from Picton to Havelock along Queen Charlotte Drive. This road follows the coast until it reaches Havelock and joins up with Hwy 6 which took us to Nelson. Queen Charlotte Drive is like most New Zealand coastal roads in that it climbs the hills and then drops down into the valleys and bays where there is usually a town. The heights gave us tremendous vistas and the rugged beauty of the South Island made its debut.
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| Looking back at Picton |
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| Govenors Bay |
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| Mahau Sound |
Once we reached Havelock we put the hammer down and didn't stop until we reached Nelson. Once there, we stopped for a few groceries prior to checking into the Kiwi Park and calling it a day. A very good day of survival and exploration.
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