And so to Wellington…via Nelson

The Honest Lawyer at sunset
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We were a little concerned that, by leaving ourselves the long drive from Franz Josef all the way to Nelson at the top end of the South Island in a day, we were probably pushing our luck. We needn’t have worried. We awoke to yet another beautifully sunny day (sorry guys - we’ve heard about the snow at home!), got a relatively early start and, as we have so often found driving around the South Island, were blessed with almost completely clear roads all the way! The journey, as has become the norm here, was punctuated with gasps of disbelief and awe – there really is a wonderful view at every turn – and a few hours later we pulled in to our overnight stop at a pseudo English pub on the outskirts of Nelson called The Honest Lawyer. Truth to tell, we weren’t expecting much from this slightly eccentric establishment and, having got over the photographs of Charles Dickens and oak(ish) beams, we were treated to an excellent gastro-pub meal overlooking a fabulous peninsula as the sun set.

Looking back to Picton from the ferry
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In the morning, after Eggs Benedict, coffees and a brief look around Nelson itself, we set off for the seemingly short run to Picton where we were due to catch the Interislander ferry to Wellington that afternoon. Once again, though, the stunning countryside and at times very windy roads, combined with lots and lots of photo stops, meant that a 90 minute drive ended up taking about 3 hours and we didn’t have long to dump the hire car and get on the ferry. (There is an odd system in New Zealand with hire cars in that it is much cheaper not to take your car from one island to the other – they prefer you to dump it at the ferry and pick up a shiny clean one the other end!). With the state of our car by then, we were more than happy to get a clean one, believe me!

Wellington from Mount Victoria
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The ferry takes almost 3 hours and the sun was beaming at us all the way (again! Can you believe our luck?!). Picton sits at the far end of the long Marlborough Sound so you get almost the entire first hour passing lush green countryside before heading out to the Cook Strait and over to the Capital.

Having spent the best part of 3 years in Wellington several years ago, I was excited about returning and there was a small lump in my throat as the harbour came in to view. We picked up the car and headed off to our hotel in the heart of the city, checked in and immediately set off for a walk. I, leading the way with all the confidence of a true local, got us shamefully lost (not easy in a town this size) and resolved to do better the next day. Since then we have had a great time finding old haunts, discovering new ones, exploring the many nearby bays that surround as well as Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast a bit further north. We’ve had a good look round Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum and arguably one of the best buildings of its kind in the world, hung out on Oriental Parade, dined at an old favourite of mine, Shed 5 and even bumped in to one or two old faces from my previous time here. Oh, and Jackie got her hair cut and did the washing – a very important part of our travels as you know!

Breaker Bay
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All in all it’s been great to come back to a city that has a culture and ambience all of its own. There are inevitably some things that I remember with rose tinted spectacles – it’s much more built up in places, slightly messy, which is a shame and generally a more bustling place than it was before, with a lot more traffic. But it’s been great to return and show Jackie what I’ve been going on about all these years.

Tomorrow we start our journey northwards, via Napier in Hawke’s Bay - New Zealand’s second largest wine growing region - so will have to do some sampling in order to make suitable comparisons with the Napa and Hunter Valley products earlier on our travels. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.