PICTON TO HAVELOCK

A lazy day, just managed a 21 mile drive along the Queen Charlotte Road from Picton to Havelock, very humid today!
Needed a proper site for recharging things, shower, washing and of course doing blog! We've just had three days dry camping so some things are full and some things need filling!

Some pretty views from overlooks on the narrow windy road that follows the Sound.

THIS GUY WAS ON THE CAMPSITE AT WHATAMANGO WHEN WE LEFT CALLED A PUKEKO

PICTON OVERLOOK

SHAKESPEARE BAY AND A LOG OR TWO

QUAIL AND HER BABIES

DADDY QUAIL

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STARTERS OF A SELECTION OF GREEN LIPPED MUSSELS FROM THE WORLDS BEST GREEN LIPPED MUSSEL PLACE - HAVELOCK

BEACHCOMBER CRUISE AND QUEEN CHARLOTTE TRACK

Up at 6am and there was thick fog, the boat left at 8 and the skies cleared to give us a superb day hiking.

Took an hour and half to drop us at Ship Cove, where Captain Cook landed four times, he loved it so much.

We wandered round the beach area and looked at Cook Monument then started our hike, the entire walk was through native forest with viewpoints of the different bays along the way.

Took us 4 hours to do the walk plus half hour stop for lunch. The boat was picking us up at 4-15 so we had a good hour's rest at Furneaux Lodge and enjoyed a drink on the verandah! On the way back we spotted two dolphins!

A long but glorious day after 10 hours away we rolled ashore and fell into “The Thirsty Pig” for fish and chips and cider!

APPROACHING SHIP COVE

SHIP COVE

COOK MEMORIAL

NOT MANY BLOOMS IN THE NATIVE FOREST BUT THESE ARE STUNNING

A WEKA AND A TRAP FOR STOATS, WHICH WE KINDLY BROUGHT OVER TO GET RID OF THE RABBITS BUT STOATS TOOK OVER, THEY ARE MAKING A MASSIVE ATTEMPT TO GET RID OF THEM ALL THESE TRAPS WERE EVERY 10 METERS IN PARTS OF THE TRAIL

SHIP COVE SADDLE

OTHER SIDE OF SHIP COVE SADDLE

JUNGLE EVERYWHERE!

TOOK THIS JUST TO SHOW THE DENSITY OF THE FOREST AREAS

RESOLUTION BAY

ROY PLAYING AT TARZAN!

THESE FLOWERS HAVE BEEN EVERYWHERE IN SOUTH ISLAND

THIS CUTIE WAS AT FURNEAUX LODGE WHERE WE GOT THE BOAT BACK, HE TOOK A SHINE TO US, PERHAPS BECAUSE WE WERE EATING CAKE!

ANOTHER BELL! FURNEAUX LODGE

ROY RESTING AT FURNEAUX LODGE WAITING FOR BOAT - ENDEAVOUR INLET

FURNEAUX LODGE

NOT A GOOD SIGN TO READ WHEN YOU'RE NEXT TO THE WATER!

KAIKOURA TO BULLER GORGE AND FINALLY PICTON!

MARUIA FALLS

Unfortunately the main coast road was still being repaired following the cyclone landslips so we took off across country on the windey roads. Drove for 6 hours today and we seemed to be the only ones going north on the diversion road everyone else going south!

Stopped at Maruia Falls, very pretty then on to Buller Gorge, with New Zealand's longest swingbridge and for $10 we got to cross it and into a park where we did the Arika Falls trail only half an hour but it was like going through the jungle! And the falls were nothing to write home about, but then we got to go over the swing bridge again. Don't think we have ever been over such along one before and we've been on a few.

Camped at Lyell Conservation campsite using our pass. I lied – they have sandflies here!

MARUIA FALLS

BULLER GORGE SUSPENSION BRIDGE

NOT US ON THE ZIP LINE!

THE UNIMPRESSIVE ARIKA FALLS

Next day rained all morning on our diversion trip up the middle of the island, lots of low cloud and the endless sheep, till finally it warmed up and we reached Marlborough area, famous for its vineyards, miles and miles of them in the broad sunshine valley.

And so to Picton, we made a beeline for the ferry terminal and booked for Sunday morning crossing, giving us three days in this area.

A glutton for boats we booked for tomorrow on Beachcomber Cruises, a mail boat which for $83 each, takes us to Ship Cove, drops us off so we can do a 15km walk round to Furneaux Lodge where it picks us up at tea time and brings us back through Queen Charlotte Sound – am excited!

MILLIONS OF SHEEP

MILES OF VINEYARDS

PICTON HARBOUR

ROY USING THE REALLY POSH LOOS THEY HAVE IN PICTON, WHICH TALKS TO YOU AND LOCKS YOU IN AND OUT AND PLAYS MUSIC TO YOU AND MINE SAID ooohhh WHEN I PRESSED THE LOCK BUTTON TOO MUCH - AND ROY'S SCARED OF GETTING LOCKED IN THEM!

CAKE TIME!