Compass Whistlethe musings of two whirled travelers

We spent the morning before we had to head out toward Picton doing some kayaking around Abel Tasman park.  The Kaiteriteri Kayak company was our operator of choice, and we decided on a two-hour self tour around the bay.  We arranged the excursion through our lodge, but it is possible to just show up at the beach and book there for a slightly cheaper price.  The weather was great and the water was flat when we started, but by the time we got back the waves had picked up a bit, and I was starting to get seasick.  Two hours was plenty of time for us as we got to explore around Ngaio Island and all the way

A bird looking for lunch

to the north end of Towers Bay (as far north as we were allowed to take the kayak).  A great way to burn off some of the calories from our Christmas feast the evening before.

The 3-hour drive from Kaiteriteri to Picton took us along some of the narrowest, most winding roads we had encountered yet around the town of Ngakuta Bay.  After navigating several kilometers of hair-raising turns, a road sign indicated that the road was about to start winding for the next 27 kilometers!  If you’re susceptible to motion sickness, bring medication or avoid the Queen Charlotte Drive.

The Interislander company, having recently celebrated its 50th year, makes the ferry crossing quite simple, and I expect the Bluebridge ferry makes things just as easy.  An intuitive website lets you purchase tickets (I purchased ours just two days prior) online, and all the major car rental companies have return offices right at the ferry terminal.  There is even free wifi available in the waterfront area of Picton, so if your device has a strong radio, you will be able to surf while inside the ferry terminal. Otherwise, you may have to resort to paying for Internet access or — the horror — going without!

We had a couple hours to kill before our ferry started boarding, so we decided to keep the car for some extra time and go hunting for a fish and chips shop that, according to the University of Florida electrical engineering professor/Patriots fan (what are the odds of meeting one of those?!) we met at the container mall in Christchurch, has “the best fish and chips you’ll ever have.”  Unfortunately, the prof didn’t know the name of the place, and during our hour of searching we only found one place that looked like the hole-in-the-wall

Picton, NZ from downtown

he described to us, and it was certainly not it as we ate dry, bland fish and chips.  Unfortunately, I was hungry and I make really bad, hasty decisions about restaurants while my stomach is growling (Her: That’s for sure!)

After returning the car and killing the last of our remaining time on the South Island, we finally boarded the ship and made a bee line to the bar at the front of the small cruise boat-sized ship where there was relatively comfortable seating.  The ferry ride was scheduled to take about 4 hours, so we thought comfortable seats and proximity to alcohol would be ideal.  We were also presented with a view out the front of the boat.  In the Picton harbor, the weather was gray but uneventful.  But almost as soon as the ferry set sail, the wind began to whip up, and once we were out in the open water of the Cook Strait the fun really began.

I’m glad I didn’t learn about the Wahine ferry disaster until after we got to Wellington.  The weather we encountered was nowhere near the hurricane force winds and torrential rains the Wahine encountered on its fateful voyage in 1968, but the wind was enough to make standing on the outside deck quite difficult, and the 3m (10ft) waves even made standing inside difficult as well.  By nightfall, the rain was coming down in sheets and it became impossible to see the lights on shore near Wellington.  I had faith in the captain, crew and modern GPS systems the Wahine lacked, but it was definitely some of the

Him braving the rough weather

worst weather I have ever encountered.  When we reached the pier in the Wellington harbor, I was itching to get back on terra firma, and the crew couldn’t open the door quickly enough.

If it’s available, arrange for your accommodation to pick you up at the ferry terminal to save some money.  Our 10-minute cab ride to the Wellington YHA cost $20, but we did make it to the hostel with 5 minutes to spare before the front desk closed for the night.

When the seas are much calmer, I expect the ferry trip would be pretty enjoyable.  The ferry we were on, the Aratere, certainly not the largest or newest, has multiple restaurants, a bar and even a movie theater.  There is seating throughout the ship, but we found that it was difficult to find a place to sleep without having small children (have we said New Zealand children are possibly the worst behaving in the world?  They are.) running and screaming past us.