We left Nelson relatively early and started the long climb , over the Richmond Range on Route 6, towards Havelock and then on to Picton. The first section was hard driving and slow but the road straightened out after we reached Pelorus Bridge and swifter progress was then made to Havelock. Definitely time for a coffee and look where we stopped?
After an arduous start to the journey, Team Jackson decided, unanimously, to take the easier route for the second half and proceeded through the vineyards of Marlborough which must be amongst the largest vineyards in the world. The second half of the journey in miles was completed in probably 25% of the time of the first half.
Soon we were settled in our camp site and whilst the LLW checked that all of her men where still in their boxes, Ray cycled off to explore Picton and the bay. It was glorious weather and as you can see the waterfront is very attractive.
The LLW decided it was appropriate to eat out tonight so we walked through the marina, over the very steep pedestrian bridge, and into the centre of Picton where there seemed to be a variety of restaurant. There were a lots of restaurants but many of them were closed on Wednesday evenings and several others had reserved signs on the tables. However, we found a table at Cafe Cortado and, in spite of dire warnings about how long it would take for us to be served we received our order of fish and chips within 15 minutes. It was very good with the whitest fish you could imagine. The food was good but the organisation and service left a lot to be desired. Ray remarked that it was an NZ version of Fawlty Towers with a young German waiter doing a credible impression of Manuel.
The first task the next morning (Thursday 19th) was to restock our food supplies with a visit to a supermarket. During his cycle ride yesterday Ray identified the location of food outlets and Picton, being a small town, only seemed to have two, Four Square which is more of a convenience store and Fresh Choice which is an upmarket, Waitrose type supermarket. No prizes for guessing which one we selected.
Now most people would consider visiting a supermarket to be fairly mundane chore. However, when needing a parking space for an 8 metre Motor Home it is never straightforward. Our Motor Home is called a Carado (we have nickname it Cara which is Irish for friend and was used in Ray's company - Solcara). Cara has a very long overhang from the rear wheels (about 1/3 of the total length), so the trick to parking Cara is to find a parking space, which can be reversed into, and which has a grassy verge or path at the rear. We have a reversing camera on Cara but it doesn't deal very well with two bikes on the rack at the rear. The LLW is quite pernickety about the right space and after a couple of attempts Ray found a space which met her exacting requirements. Fresh Choice was very good and, quickly, we found all we needed.
The next item on the agenda was a drive along the Marlborough Sounds to Waikawa and Whatamango Bay. This had been identified as a good route to enjoy views of the sounds but we were not prepared for quite such stunning views, particularly those from Karaka Point.
The Interislander Ferry passed whilst we were there on its way to dock at Picton and we shall be on that ferry when it leaves Picton at 11:00 tomorrow. I think the photos are quite good but photos can never do justice to the incredible blue of the sea, the dark green of the vegetation beyond and the much paler blue of the sky above.
A few admin tasks this afternoon and then rack of lamb on the barbie, with a well chosen Central Otago Pino Noir! The next post will be from the North Island and from the nation's capital Wellington.
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