Ferry to Picton

Most of today was occupied with getting to the South Island on the ferry. We had to be at the terminal by 9:30 to queue up to get loaded.

We ended up being loaded into the rail car deck along with some freight cars.

This is a 3 hour voyage across the Cook Strait. This can be be a rough crossing in a north-west wind but luckily winds have been from the south and there was only a 1 m swell running today making for a comfortable ride. We bid farewell to Wellington and the North Island after 2,800 km and three weeks of touring.

The ferry was a bit dated (built in 1983) but fine for the short crossing.

The weather was overcast with low clouds which made the arrival at the South island not as scenic as it could be. To get to the port of Picton, we travelled about 25 km down Queen Charlotte sound which would have been brilliant on a sunny day. Still not too bad for scenery.

Once arriving, we found our B&B and checked in.

We were right at the harbour and the trail head for Victoria Domain. We walked past the marina and did an hour and half walk to Bob's Bay. Some nice sights and overlooks.

Following that, we returned to our B&B for a glass of wine with the owner. For supper, it felt like a good night for pizza and a beer/wine so we consulted Trip Advisor and found a nearby Irish pub that supposedly had good pizza.

A good pick which involved a walk through the harbour. This Picton Harbour has much nicer docks, boats and ambience than the Picton Harbour back home!

Looking forward to a good night's sleep after noisy Wellington. Most hotels in NZ do not have A/C so you end up sleeping with your windows / patio doors open and the fan on. Not so good when the bars empty at 3 am and the rowdies start scrapping in the street outside your hotel.