To reach the South Island, we had to drive to Wellington to access the ferry that crosses the Cook Strait. Unfortunately, a terrible accident occurred on the road, so we had to take a detour. The 5 hour drive turned out to be a bit longer, but the road trip took us through some beautiful territory. We saw turkey, venison & dairy farms tucked into valleys surrounded by large pine forests.
We chuckled at how civilized the drivers are in NZ. No one here has the urge to be a road warrior seeking asphalt supremacy, and the road signs reinforce civilized behavior. Some of our favorite NZ road signs we desperately need in California: “Allow breathing space”; “Skilled riders (i.e., motorcycles) avoid blind spots”; “Heavy vehicles avoid engine breaking”; “Use left lane unless passing”; “Heavy accident zone; even locals die here”; and “Give way.” The signs sport a wise owl. They constantly stress stopping every 2 hours for a break, which we did.
By the time we reached Wellington, rain and wind and exhaustion set in. We decided to rest instead of to fight the weather to view Wellington’s attractions. Locals call the city “Windy Wellington” for good reason. We found the energy though to drag ourselves out to a highly rated (Tripadvisor) Vietnamese restaurant, Restaurant 88.
We ordered some hot pho bo and a large pot of green tea–great rainy weather fare. Wished our neighbors, the Geiger’s, were here to share this tasty Vietnamese meal.
The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry.
The two islands that make up NZ overlap each other a bit at the Cook Strait.
Downtown Wellington
The rain subsided, so we had a good view of Wellington on our way to Picton.
Wellington is a lovely seaport city, the 2nd largest city in NZ and the capital of the country.
The ship had a special on tea and scones and kept wheeling trays of them by us during the 3 hour sea journey. Here we are entering Picton Harbour.
Our ferry was huge.
Picton Harbour
On our way to Nelson, we passed through the Marlborough wine region. Because it is autumn in NZ, the grapevines and trees are turning fall colors.
We stopped for lunch @ the Allan Scott Winery.
Beautiful grounds… Classy joint…
We met some Kiwis attending a photography convention. They loved Pete’s camera–they were all Canon owners– and we quickly became chums.
Windswept from the boat ride, I enjoyed my hearty meal of seafood chowder and sauvignon blanc.
After lunch we took a half-hour hike down to the Pelarus River, another filming site of The Hobbit. Silver ferns seem to be everywhere down under.
A 3-hour ferry ride, chowder & wine, and a 2-hour drive made Jill a tired lassie. All play, and no work, is so exhausting. We then drove another hour to Nelson.
Note to Steve Sheridan: Pete cannot deal with a turn signal stock on the right. He hopes that when drivers see the windshield wipers on a clear day, they know a turn is coming! BTW, Toyotas are like this. On the North Island we had a Ford, which had the turn signal more like the ones in the states (turn signal stock on the left).
2 Comments
Enjoying the letters and photos immensely! On the map of the toe islands overlapping, our friend Allister from Wellington taught us:
The North of the South is North of the South of the North.
Pete, I understand your frustration with the windshield wiper stick location. I could deal with driving on the left but I could not get used to that darn windshield wiper control being on the left.
Looks like you’re having a fabulous time and seeing some incredible sights. Love your pics – keep’m coming.