Picton and Nelson, Top of the South Island

On March 20 we drove 40 minutes from Blenheim to Picton.

Picton is in the Marlborough Sounds area, which is a never ending maze of small inlets, islands, and randomly shaped waterways, containing 10% of all the coastline of NZ!

This beautiful area is sparsely populated, with many settlements being accessible only by boat. Picton itself, has fewer than 5,000 residents. The terrain is made up of rugged mountains where dense forrest come down to the water’s edge. Some bays are calm, fringed by golden sand, while others are rocky and exposed to the notoriously rough waters of the Cook Straight which separates the North Island from the South Island.

The main harbor in Marlborough Sounds is in Picton, where the ferry to the North Island docks six times each day after a journey of 3 hours and 30 minutes from Wellington. The northern terminus for the NZ rail network also ends here and the harbor does a ton of business in everything from lumber to wool to fish.

The sheltered bay has a large marina for private boats and several very active sailing clubs for kids. NZ can probably boast more world-class competitive sailors per capita than any country in the world, and many of them get started in the sailing clubs in and around Picton.

Our hotel room overlooked the harbor and I spent a fair amount of time sitting on the balcony with a beer or a glass of wine, watching the college kids competing in regattas and races.

These young sailors really push their limits and I saw many boats capsize. Each time they quickly righted the boats and got back in the race! It was also nice to see that there were nearly as many women as guys out on the water. Sailing, especially racing, has traditionally been dominated by men, but that is finally starting to change.

We stopped in for lunch at a cafe overlooking the water and Peggy ordered a butternut squash soup. After a couple very peppery spoonfuls she went into a violent coughing fit, shaking all over and unable to breathe. She recovered quickly, but it was really scary. Back at the room, we had a quiet afternoon and evening.

The next day was a beautiful, but challenging, kayak and hiking trip.

We hopped into a double kayak in Picton harbor alongside a guide and another couple. The paddle (red line above) was about 6.5 miles across the clear blue waters with almost zero wind. 🙂 As we watched the beautiful coastline slide by, our guide, a retired British Navy officer, was keeping us on schedule while entertaining everyone with tales of shipwrecks, interesting facts about the area and a commentary pointing out what is unique about this part of the world.

After about 3 and a half hours of paddling, we arrived at Ngakuta Bay where we rested and helped the guide load the kayaks onto a trailer. Then she drove us to a turn-out where we caught the ‘Governor’s Bay Track’ hiking trail for a 7 mile hike back. This wound up the coast out to the point, then back down the south side of the peninsula into Shakespeare Bay and then into Picton.

It was a beautiful hike, with many vista points giving a wide view of the water and often well-shaded through dense forests.

The next day Peggy was not feeling well. The exertion of the previous day had knocked her back into a relapse of coughing and feeling miserable. After doing as much as I could for her, I went out to explore the town.

Picton has a small but nice downtown area, right on the waterfront. There are many ‘adventure’ companies there, renting kayaks, sailboats, jets-skis, etc and quite a few interesting restaurants and cafes. Looking at the beer menu at one place, I could not resist this:

I followed it with this equally enticing brew:

The description on the back said that the beer is as bold and brash as the offer to buy Greenland. The Kiwis are not big fans of Trump and have a wicked sense of humor. 😉

“Adventure tourism” shops along the waterfront and marina.

The public beach was often much busier than in this photo. The locals know how to enjoy themselves in the water, on the water and by the water. My kinda people. 🙂

March 23, back on the road with a 2 hour drive to Nelson. The road was pretty, winding through steep forested hills and valleys dotted with sheep in between. Nelson is the oldest (British colonial) city on the South Island and second oldest in NZ, population about 50,000. The city is full of streets, statues and building with names recalling British Navy officers and battles.

When we arrived in Nelson, our room was not ready so we went for lunch at the River Kitchen cafe. I had a traditional ‘Fish & Chips’ where the fries were really good. A seagull agreed and he swooped in and grabbed one before I could react. Turns out, this is typical at the River Kitchen. The place has squirt guns for people to use to keep the seagulls at bay.

After checkin (to a really nice room with a large kitchen and sitting room) we went for a walk up Trafalgar St, the center of downtown Nelson. The main commercial area is about 4 blocks long, from Halifax (the name of the Bristish Navy Shipyards) to Hardy (for Vice-Admiral Hardy, commander of HMS Victory in the Battle of Trafalgar) St.

The next day we went for a bike ride through some gorgeous country. Peggy was still not feeling great so we got her an ebike and that helped a lot.

After the ride, Peggy was completely wiped out. The next morning we went to Nelson Hospital and checked in to Urgent Care. After taking her vitals, they decided she was too ill and sent us to the Emergency Room. She was quickly put on an IV for dehydration and antibiotics. Her blood oxygen level was dangerously low. After a thorough exam and blood work, the diagnosis was pneumonia. Yikes! No wonder she had been feeling so poorly.

We spent about 6 hours in the ER and I have to say that I was impressed by the care. So was Peggy, and as a doctor, her stamp of approval is worth more than mine. 😉 At the end of the day, she was still a bit weak, but the blood oxygen levels were up and she had meds that should clear up the bacterial pneumonia. We went back to our hotel, watched Netflix, and just relaxed.

Fortunately, the plan for the next day was a ‘free day in Nelson’. She hung out at the room and I went out for a hike. On the east side of town is Botanical Hill, the summit of which is purported to be the ‘geographical center of NZ’. The first geodetic survey (accounting for the curvature of the earth) of NZ used this as the starting point, with everything else measured from there. From the top, I had great views of the city and the surrounding area.

Back down at the bottom of Botanical Hill, I was in a park where I spent some time watching a pick-up soccer game. About 10 to 12 locals on their lunch break. They said they do this most weekdays if the weather is good.

Walking back towards the hotel, I found myself in the Queen’s Garden, a small park with a pond and creeks, many secluded benches with people reading or drawing and sculptures peaking out around every corner. I spent some time just sitting, listening to the birds and watching people walk by.

Next to the park I stumbled upon the Suter Art Gallery After walking through the gallery, I went to the cafe for a glass of wine and lunch. I ate at one of the small tables on the deck overlooking the Queen’s Garden Park. A very nice and restful lunch.

March 27 – Peggy is still recovering. She insisted that I keep the schedule with a trip to Abel Tasman Park. While it is the smallest of NZ’s national parks, it is one of the most visited. I will cover this in the next post.