Weather -fine & sunny around 20C
Well the reputation, and previous experience, for Wellington has been challenged. Today, as yesterday is beautiful & sunny with no wind. Apparently that is a rare thing here so glad we came at this time.
Later start today so up around 7am and off to breakfast at 8am, then onto the coach for a tour around Wellington. Then off to Mt Victoria which has superb views of Wellington and surrounds. We hopped off for some great photos, then back down a narrow. Winding road into Wellington and stopped at the Te Paua Museum, the largest in NZ. We had a brief look (I had been before & Mike not overly interested) then off for a walk and check out the harbour.
Eventually we stumbled across a beautiful pub (Macs Brewbar) right on the waterfront. Was around 11.30 so very quiet & we scored a good table. After a pint of cider and free Internet time (finally able to upload yesterday's blog) we ordered an early lunch to prolong our stay. Just before we left at 12.30 it started to get really busy with people queuing up for tables.
Back on the coach around 1pm for our short ride to the ferry terminal, we offloaded & waited in the waiting area until our ferry arrived. The coach has already been loaded & all our luggage is onboard, so hope it's on the same ferry. The trip to Picton, via the Marlborough Sounds apparently takes around 3 hours so we can walk around the ferry and take photos etc. The weather looks identical to when we were doing the scenic cruising of Marlborough Sounds on the Diamond Princess, Christmas Day. I keep hearing how rough this crossing usually is, however this will be my 3rd experience & although wet the first time, it has always been very smooth.
Nine fellow travellers left our tour a short time ago in Wellington as they were only doing the North Island, it was sad to see some of them ago, especially our new found friend Lynne from Bathurst. Apparently we will have new people join in Christchurch, so a full coach once again. With a couple of minor exceptions we have a great group on this tour. One pair (who shall remain nameless) are so rude & demanding, we just can't believe why they came in the first place. I guess it takes all sorts & those readers whom were on my last trip to NZ will remember clearly the couple who boarded in Wellington ..... yes? Well this is 5 x worse. All will be revealed in a less public arena :)
I still have a lot of problems with my right shoulder/arm especially in the mornings. My other joint aches & pains are a little better, but still not good. I am staying off shellfish, red meat, salt etc and eating mainly fruit & veggies, so fingers crossed for a marked improvement. We are having such a great time, however I feel disappointed that I can't see & do as much as I would like or mobility will allow. Poor Mike is stuck with all the luggage handling, but so far not complaining.
We had, as expected a very smooth crossing & arrived at our hotel (same one as my last visit) in beautiful Picton around 5.45pm. We scored a beautiful room on top floor overlooking the harbour. It has a large balcony as well as a large garden below. Could stay here for a week!
Photos below of views from Mt Victoria over Wellington, the Brewery Bar, harbour side, crossing Marlborough Sounds & views from our hotel room in Picton.
Time to grab a bottle before dinner. We had a beautiful meal, all cooked in house (this is a private hotel) of soup, salads, vegetables & fish or lamb. The veggies were delicious so I had more of them & a little fish. Very nice.
More tomorrow from Christchurch.
Addit - I sent Mike to the local bottle shop to get wine whilst I unpacked the basics. I suggested a bottle of Sav Blanc as we are in the heart of the Marlborough Wine region. Well her arrives back with 2 bottles of wine, some grapes & nuts. When I check the wine, the first bottle is Sav Blanc .... But wait for it ..... the label says "product of South Africa"! The other bottle (Riesling) is at least a NZ one, but .... then I read the label on the grapes ... "Product of USA" .... what on earth is the word coming to. He didn't look at where they were from, just assumed they were local! Next time he is wearing his glasses.
I insisted we drink the South African wine quickly & hide the bottle to avoid embarrassment, which we did. So don't tell anyone!
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