An Unexpected Journey - Five

April 15, 2016

Early departure this morning - due to check in at the Interislander Ferry Terminal at 8:10 a.m. for a 9 a.m. sail.  We had to turn in our rental car before boarding, as the rental companies keep separate fleets on the north and south islands.  We stood in line to check our luggage just like we were boarding a plane, getting our boarding passes at the same counter.  The terminal was crowded with backpackers and conversations in many languages.

One of the ferries in Wellington Harbour

We boarded the huge ship Kataki and scouted out a place to sit on one of the many levels.  We found some empty seats up on the top, open-air deck. We saw Westpac Stadium, home venue to professional rugby and soccer teams, including the famous All-Blacks, as we departed Wellington Harbour.  The nearly sixty-mile journey took around three hours and was a beautiful, scenic ferry ride.

Once the ferry left the harbor, the wind picked up considerably.  We were excited to spot some dolphins leaping and diving through the water.  We eventually wandered down to the lower, indoor levels, enjoying coffee, tea and Chinese checkers.  The ferry had several cafes, bars, lounges, and even a small movie theater.  Groups of youngsters sped through the corridors and up and down the busy stairways.

The ferry circled around the southern tip of the North Island, headed northwest across Cook Strait, and bypassed the usual Tory Channel route to the more northern entrance into Queen Charlotte Sound.  The captain announced the change of course, saying the clear, calm weather offered an opportunity for the pilot to clock some required hours maneuvering through the northern passage.  The travel time was unaffected by the change, and we docked in Picton around 12:30 p.m.

One of the many wind farms in NZ

We collected our bags and made our way to the EuropCar rental office.  With an entire ferry of tourists arriving at once, you can imagine the lines at the rental shops.  But the line moved fairly well, and this time we were able to register both of our driver's licenses.  Tim was already a pro, but I was psyched to try driving on the left.



From the little town of Picton, we followed the valley south to Blenheim, which sits at the heart of Marlborough, New Zealand's largest wine region.  Saw lots of sheep and vineyards along the way.

(Full disclosure - these are North Island sheep.  Sheep are everywhere here.)

 We checked in at Chateau Marlborough Blenheim, a big, fancy name for a not-so-big-and-fancy hotel.  The not-so-cheery receptionist recommended a pizza place in town for us - probably the only pizza place in this little town.  On the other hand, this and all other towns we visited seem to have Thai restaurants on every corner.  Kiwis are clearly Thai food fanatics.

Requisite potty shot - this flimsy toilet
hung precariously from the wall of our
room at the "chateau"

I was all set to have my first turn at the wheel, when I took a chunk out of my finger trying to adjust the headrest.  Not wanting to bleed all over the steering wheel, I relinquished the keys to Tim.  He drove to Dolce Pizza, a second-floor local eatery overlooking the little business district, busy with big tables of students and families.  I was pleased with myself for remembering the the British term for band-aid, and asked if I could please have a "plaster."  After showing me the "pasta" section of the menu, the waitress got my drift and brought me a bandage.

After dinner, I was well-plastered and took the wheel.  Remembering to stay on the left side of the road was pretty easy.  The tricky part was to look up and to the left for the rear view mirror, and to remember the turn signal on the opposite side of the steering column.  Tim and I both turned on the wipers countless times by accident during our trip.  Not finding much of interest in town, we headed back to our "chateau" for the night.

Best traffic sign so far :