Next stop Nelson – 12 January 2021

On Monday evening we packed the car ready for our  departure early on Tuesday morning.  Both of us find it difficult trying to figure out what to take for that period of time.  However, we managed to get everything we needed in the car and virtually all I had to do the next morning was put a couple of bags in the car and then load the bikes on the bike carrier. 

 

We got to the ferry, the Kaitaki,  early as the last time I arrived later and we were last on and almost last off.  The day was perfect for the journey across Cook Strait - barely a breath of wind.  The ferry was reasonably full but not completely.  Bev managed to find us a good place to sit and we had nice views of the strait.  Not only that, we didn’t freeze as has happened on other journeys. 

 

We were off the boat quite quickly by previous standards, nearly half an hour after docking.  We went to Le Café in Picton, where I had spent  many an hour with my late mother, and had some lunch.  Afterwards we had a wander around the shopping area before heading to Blenheim where we got some blueberries.  Then it was a very pleasant stop at Clos Henri for a bottle of wine to take to our friends in Nelson. 

 

We arrived at Bev’s friends’ home late afternoon.  The weather was similar to the beautiful weather that Wellington put on for our departure.

 

They live in a very old house that was built in the late 1800s. Much of it is still in that style so is a bit quirky and of course rather dark except where the previous owners  had painted it in light colours.  They are planning a major renovation to bring it into the 2020’s.