Fishing on the wharf with a feathered friend.
Eventually Regan left and the announcement came to board the Bluebridge ferry. It was a surprisingly long walk. Eventually we all entered the ferry through the same door... pedestrians, cyclists, cars and even giant trucks. I made my way to one of the small upper decks and settled in. There weren't a lot of places to sit with a good view. Most of the seating was indoors behind salt water-sprayed windows. The outside section was toward the back of the ship in the center.
Entering the ferry
Cleaning off the windows
The ferry was supposed to leave at 8 am but didn't get underway until 9. There were basically three sections to the trip: leaving the North Island, crossing the channel, entering the South Island (Marlborough Sound).
Leaving Wellington
Farewell to the North Island
I didn't see any dolphins on the trip, as are often supposedly prominent, but then again, I did doze a bit. Regan texted to say he had bought his plane ticket to Blenheim for Friday night. So I'll take the bus over Friday and then we'll be able to use his parents' car for the weekend.
The trip through Marlborough Sound was lovely. The sun shone; the water sparkled; the wind breezed, the sound of cicadas filled the air...
Entering the Sound
Naturally, having departed late, we arrived late. We arrived at 12:30 instead of 11:30... and the bus I had booked to Nelson was scheduled to depart at 12:15... and I still had a long way to go before even getting to the bus stop. A free shuttle took us from the boat to the terminal where I collected my backpack. The shuttle then brought us to town, specifically to the tourist info center. I waited in a long line and eventually got to talk to someone. By then it was almost 1:30. Apparently the rest of the busses to Nelson that day were cancelled. No real reason, just cancelled. So I was stuck here in Picton overnight no matter what. The question then became did I want to go to Nelson tomorrow or not since I was planning to go to Blenheim (which is much closer to where I am now and in the opposite direction) on Friday. It didn't seem worth going all the way to Nelson and then back just for a half a day.
In the meantime, I booked a bed in the Atlantis Backpackers. I was a bottom bunk in a 12-bed co-ed dorm room. I could have gotten a smaller room with only 4 beds, but they were crammed into a tiny space. This is at least a huge room. Unfortunately it was right on the main street so it was rather loud.
I texted Stephen, the couchsurfer who was supposed to meet me at the bus station in Nelson, to let him know I wasn't going to make it. Then I walked a bit around the town... got some money, some groceries, sat in the park overlooking the water a bit. I desperately tried to connect to the free internet available, but the strength was not enough to maintain for more than a few seconds. I tried calling the bus to see if I could get a refund but to no avail. The tourist info place had given me the number to the wrong bus company and eventually I just gave up. NZ$26 lost and a lesson learned. Don't book tickets in advance... just risk it.
The beach park
The main street
Uh oh... did I break some kind of food rule?
There are lots of hikes around so I'll try to do a nice one or two tomorrow. There are lots of tours but I'm going to wait to see what I can do for free first.
PICTON (Day 11)
I actually slept better than thought, given being in a room with 8 other people. I went to bed earlier than everyone else but eventually they turned off the lights, the traffic stopped outside, and things were quiet... until the morning when the snoring started. I, of course, got up before everyone else and snuck out to have some breakfast. Why do community kitchens always smell the same in every country? I tried not to take too long. I packed up as quietly as I could then headed out for a walk.
There was almost no one out yet and it was already 9 am. My quest took me to Victoria Domain, a nature reserve set on a small peninsula. I walked along Shelly Beach, past Bob's Bay and finally took Snout Track to the very tip which jutted into Queen Charlotte Sound.
The scenery was stunning! The water was a vivid blue. The dense, vibrant green vegetation offered shade from the prominent sun. The call of cicadas and birds filled the air.
Shells on Shelly Beach
The morning light
Interesting flowers
Bob's Bay
Iridescent shell
A view down the Sound
The end of the trail at the tip of the peninsula, with a good overview of Queen Charlotte Sound
The walk back
I kept running into one of my dorm mates (everyone is called "mate" here) on the trail. Together we briefly stalked some cicadas, then later I met him again, trying to get a shot of the elusive quails. He told me he had managed to entice some small birds into coming closer to him by whistling at them.
These tiny guys REALLY did not like to sit still... but then again I didn't try the whistling trick.
A quail quickly scurries away.
Colorful and creepy... cicadas filled the trees.
Cicadas are SUPER skiddish and were quite hard to get close to.
WATCH A VIDEO OF A CICADA
I got back the the hostel at 4:30 pm. I was VERY tired from both the heat and the walking. I took a quick shower and then curled up on a chair near an electrical outlet to edit pictures. I ended up having to buy some internet time since the free stuff is so flaky, but it too is difficult and limited.
return • continue
