NZ +12: Picton and the ferry to North Island

Despite not wanting to leave the relative luxury of the very posh and vry cheap aprtment, we did. We drove north to Picton along roads very similar to the ones I desribed yesterday - mountain, road, rail, sea - not much room between any of them.

The ferry terminal was not particularly busy...



...we boarded quickly onto a car deck which also takes trains, scarily...



..and we were soon on our way up Queen Charlotte Sound, which was beautiful...



...and out into Cook Strait, which although apparently notorious for rough crossings, was as calm as a millpond...



...and we arrived in Wellington about 4.30 in the afternoon...



From Wellington, we drove north for about half an hour to Robin and Maureen's house in Pukerua Bay. (I think that's how it's spelt, I think you have to be careful how you pronounce it...) And we were treated to a slap-up evening meal with chocolate pudding to follow.

They are lovely hosts, with hundreds of tales to tell of NZ, having lived in the village at the foot of Mount Cook for many years. Their house seems to be a vast library of second hand books on almost every subject and, despite being retired, they seem to have something to do and somewhere to be at every moment.

Maureen asked if any of us would like to accompany her on her 6am walk the following morning, and we all declined as politely as it was possible to do.

Tomorrow into Wellington...