North to South

Picton, Marlborough, New Zealand
Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tuesday 19 November

The car was safely delivered to the ferry terminus at 7. 30 this morning and I jest not! Geraldine, (no sailor of note) was relieved to see that no rowing was required and the sea was like a mill pond. The crossing was picturesque in the extreme, particularly when the ship swung into Queen Charlotte Sound. Everything was made so much more intense by the sun sparkling off the blue blue sea. We ventured individually onto the observation deck at key intervals to observe (highly original) and take the odd photograph. By the very nature of the beast it is exposed and was blowing a gale, or so it seemed. Peter returned from one such trip looking a bit sheepish . I gave him a sharp glance and asked if he was ok ? Intuition told me something was afoot. Sure enough! 'My hat blew off' he muttered. 'You're joking' says I. 'I would have lost it, if a lady hadn't have chased it down the deck and grabbed it just before it disappeared into oblivion'. We looked at one another and dissolved into fits of laughter to the mystification of G&R, who hadn't heard the old story of the vicar who was asked to give a talk to the local scouts on Sex Education. Rather reticent of admitting this to his wife, he told her he was to give a talk on sailing. Several days later, she bumped into the leader of the scout troop who mentioned what an excellent talk the vicar had given. 'Oh really?' exclaimed his wife ' I wasn't aware he knew anything about it. The first time he was sick, the second time his hat blew off!' Exit perplexed scout leader stage left!!! The old ones are the best.............
Picton has appeared gleaming white in the sunlight at the end of the Sound, so I'd better close temporarily and pick up again later. TTFN
We are now at Furneaux Lodge our next port of call, literally. After arriving at Picton we were picked up by the Cougar Line launch and travelled for an hour or so up the Sound into Endeavour Inlet to be dropped at Furneaux Lodge, which can only be reached by water. There Is no road access. It is like being on your own desert Island, with its own little beach surrounded by virgin forest. This area has remained untouched since Captain Cook anchored in the Inlet in 1769 naming Mt Furneaux after Captain Tobias Furneaux of HMS Resolution. There is also a Resolution Bay. We have a delightful contemporary suite overlooking the beach and there is not a sound apart from the the birds and the sea. It is heavenly. This is our chill out session before starting our exploration of the South Island and we intend to do very little except enjoy being here.Read more