Day 48 Delayed bus to Picton

I departed the Dusky Lodge bright and early to make it to the bus stop the recommended ten minutes prior to the bus’ scheduled arrival. I’m really not sure why I bother keeping to times and being early in New Zealand, everyone else is just too relaxed to worry about getting places on time, so everything is always late...

My last sunset in kaikoura!

The bus arrived only 20 minutes late, which is fairly good for New Zealand, but the Bus Driver then decided he needed his half an hour break so myself and the others at the bus stop were left to wait for a further 30 minutes. Meaning by the time we got the bus we had been waiting for an hour. In the rain.

The journey wasn’t ‘too’ bad, there were quite a few twisty roads, and someone was sick at the back, (not me this time! Hurray!) but I held it together – which was a blessed relief after yesterday’s fiasco of retching for 2hours on a boat…

I haven’t got a great deal to add honestly, I found my hostel, checked in, met some lovely people, had some free chocolate pudding, booked my hostel in Wellington, went in the hot tub with Natalie, and then collapsed on my bed. I'm all packed and ready to go tomorrow morning when I catch the ferry!

 Such a beautiful stretch of coastline

Day 8. Kenepuru and Mistletoe Bay

Hello from inside a tent!

After saying goodbye to Axel we set off in hunt of Kenepuru road. We found it reasonably easily, after a minor detour because we missed the turn off and there was nowhere to turn around, however I almost wish we hadn’t! We thought Queen Charlotte Drive was twisty…  well it has nothing on Kenepuru.

 The ducks here have no fear, and a couple of birds have even gotten into the tent!

We actually had to stop the car twice and pull over because it felt like we were on a rollercoaster. Not only was it mildly terrifying, considering there was a sheer cliff with no barrier on one side, the roads weren’t properly tarmacked, there were signs for landslides everywhere and half the road collapsed down the cliff but the road turns so much, I don’t think there was a single point we were going in a straight line. (it’s a good thing Bernard is an automatic as I honestly don’t know how you’d do some of these roads with a manual as you’d constantly be changing gears)

We were planning to get up to Cowshed Bay near the top of Kenepuru Sound but we just couldn’t take more than an hour or so on Kenepuru road so we’ve stopped off at Mistletoe Bay. The eco-village here is very idyllic and incredibly peaceful.

George set up the tent, which certainly isn’t a ‘three-person’, perhaps a one and a half. Dinner was interesting as we didn’t bring any plates or cups with us as every hostel we’ve been too had supplied some… needless to say making soup failed. Sandwiches it is.

Mistletoe Bay is beautiful with a couple of lovely walks, but we’re only planning to stay the one night and set of tomorrow, perhaps after a quick jump in the water, up Kenepuru road again. The joys.

P.S I’ve never heard so many weird birdcalls before! 

Day 7. Queen Charlotte

After a bit of an early start, I gave mum a quick ring, then set out on a walk around Picton as George was still fast asleep and I wanted to make the most of what was beginning to look like a beautiful day. Me and Axel walked along the harbor side for a bit before Axel, claiming tiredness, went back while I carried on exploring. Men. I managed to find ‘Bob’s Bay Track’ which finishes at a little bay with safe-swimming water. It was a really lovely walk, which only had a couple of scary sections where there’d been landslides and I had to skirt across, and the views were perfect throughout!

The view along the walk

 And what I saw whenever I looked down!

 I still can't get over how clear the water was!

 And the view when I finally made it to Bob's bay!

 Some of the beautiful shells scattered along the coastline 

The bay was lovely and it was great to paddle along the shore and admire the purple and blue shells after a walk in the midday sun (I obviously didn’t think through the timing of the walk). I dawdled at the bay for a while but I realized I’d left my phone with Axel and I didn’t want him to be waiting for me as we hadn’t agreed on a time to set off. After rushing back to the hostel (most of which was uphill) I find George in a hammock having just gotten out of the hot tub and Axel dozing on the sofa.

The route to Havelock 

 at one of the look out spots you could pull into

We did eventually set off, after I rallied everyone (it really shouldn’t be so hard for three people to be ready at the same time), and we took the Queen Charlotte Drive across Marlborough Sound. The drive was beautifully scenic with lots of look-out-points, a few of which we stopped off at. The downside though was the road was very twisty, there were a couple of turns which were painfully sharp and by the end of it we were all feeling a little nauseous!

 Coming into havelock 

 Our view while we ate dinner on the patio of the hostle

Me winning at Risk (even though I'd never played it before and Axel and George claimed to be pros!)

We arrived in Havecock in one piece, just. Found a hostel and were about to settle down for the night when we were told about a waterfall track which if you took at night allowed you to see glowworms up close. Well we couldn’t pass up that chance so after playing risk until the sun went down me and George borrowed some torches and went for a walk up a very steep, muddy path. We actually almost missed the glowworms as we were so busy trying to maneuver a particularly narrow and wet section that we didn’t notice the cliff wall was filled with glow worms! It was obviously impossible to take a photo but it was absolutely beautiful.

Axel heads to Nelson tomorrow while me and George are taking the Kenepuru road up Marlborough Sound, bring on tomorrow! 

P.S we passed two women on bikes twice on the road here (we passed them, then pulled up not long after at a look out & then we ended up having to pass them again) and when we were sat playing risk they walked into the hostel! They said 'hello again' so they clearly remembered us too! Such a small world!

Day 6. The Ferry Crossing

Tonight is probably one of the last nights I’ll be able to get wifi as tomorrow we’re planning to head into Able Tasman and we’re probably going to be camping a lot and generally be in the middle of nowhere.

The day had a slightly rocky start with the ferry being delayed meaning we had to buy another coupon for the car, on the plus side it meant we had more time to enjoy and explore wellington, we went to this lovely Italian-inspired café and had some hot chocolates as it was drizzly and grey in Wellington today.

 The hot chocolate was basically liquid chocolate. 

After pottering in some music shops (I got to play the flute again which was really good since I can’t even remember the last time I played, probably last Christmas and it was surprisingly how much came back to me and yet how slow my fingers felt! Definitely out of practice).

We decided to go to the Ferry early and it’s a very good thing we did! We went to turn Bernard on and he started juddering and stopped twice just pulling out of the parking space! I got George to pop the bonnet and (because I found a Mitsubishi Diamante car manual in a used bookshop a few days ago and read it while waiting for Axel) I knew how to check the oil and a few other bits and pieces (like the windscreen wipers which we couldn’t figure out, and how to open the boot... you know unimportant things like that).  Anyway when I checked the oil I realized we had barely any in, and I mean the stick was pretty much completely clean! Luckily we had Axel who I went with to the nearest petrol station and bought some oil. Once we put the oil in Bernard started up good as new, and I’m hoping that that’s maybe why Bernard went through fuel so quickly? Wishful thinking I know.

(And once again I’m going to have to tell Mum she’s right, before we set off she told me to check the tire pressure, oil, and water, and to make sure we had a blanket in the car. And so you know, I’ve checked the other two things and I think they’re all good – always listen to Mum is the moral of this story)

Our incredibly healthy lunch right there...

 Not a bad view from the car while we waited 

The queue we were in  and houses which have an amazing view 

Anyway we got the ferry, eventually, and had to wait nearly an hour, the view was pretty beautiful though so it wasn’t too bad. Once we finally got on board the ferry wasn’t too bad either, only a little seasickness. The best bit is we SAW DOLPHINS on the way to the South Island!

 Our first glimpse of the South Island 

 A small salmon farm that we passed

and it was just before this photo that we saw the dolphins!

We’ve checked into Sequoia Lodge now, and it’s adorable! It’s just like a home and the woman that runs it is lovely. We got free chocolate pudding and ice cream as she does that every night, there’s also free wifi, a hot tub, free parking, a BBQ and lots of other bits and pieces that she’s done to make you feel at home. We’re all kind of sad we’re only staying one night – so sad infact we’re tempted to stay another night!

P.S Quote of the day, George to Axel, 'you're so boring you don't want a hot water bottle'