4/9/26: Wellington-Picton via Cook Strait & onto the South Island's Nelson

Steven and I obviously had arrived at Wellington's ferry terminal too early to catch the ferry to Picton on New Zealand's South Island, as I had a blast testing my knowledge of the country's trivia on the quiz being shown! For those of you who've been to NZ, any guesses on their sheep-to-people ratio?!

The answer is 6.2!

Any takers on guessing the percentage of protected national reserve?

The answer is 30%! I wonder what other nations come anywhere that close.

This should be a gimme if you read the last post!

I know you all scored an "A" on this one and named Wellington!

And the record for the steepest street in the world goes to? 

The answer is Baldwin St. in Dunedin, which we were looking forward to because of its formidable 35% maximum grade or 19-degree incline!

This was our last view of Wellington and the North Island before introducing Steven to the wonders of the South Island, which I also had previously visited in early 2019 with a friend.

 About two-thirds of the almost four-hour crossing would be spent navigating the calm, winding channels of the Marlborough Sounds, with the remaining third would be on the open-water crossing across the Cook Strait. The open, unprotected body of water of the latter, primarily a transit route, is infamous for fierce winds, large swells, and strong tidal currents where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific. If we were lucky, we might see whales in the critical deep-water feeding grounds.

Once we got through this rough patch, it was easy sailing the rest of the way. Though I spent quite a bit of time on the viewing deck, once again, I saw no whales or other marine life.

We passed the odd sailboat before the Interislander Ferry traveling from Picton on the South Island to Wellington. My friend and I had used that company when we headed south.

Our entrance to the Picton Harbour:

After a mix-up with the dates for our rental car that luckily worked out well in the end, we drove out to view the Picton Marina. If you're a sailing enthusiast, you'd love New Zealand!

The Picton Heritage Museum was a great resource for Māori treasures and maritime and whaling exhibits.

British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer James Cook, whose travels and exploits we've followed in many parts of the world, also made five visits during three voyages to this region in the 1770s. He was responsible for naming the Cook Strait and other place names that survive today.

The replica of Cook's Barque Endeavour took 1,000 painstaking hours to build.

The whalebone and black coral chess set was confiscated under the Provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1989.

Look at the head and jawbone of the orca, the largest member of the dolphin family, and the most ferocious of all whales. Make sure it doesn't give you nightmares tonight!

There was an impressive collection of shells amassed by Picton's Kenny family on their trips to the Marlborough Sounds. I've always loved collecting shells, but I've never found anything the Kennys would have wanted!

A Norwegian harpoon used on steam chasers:

Carved whale teeth depicted penguins, one with a cigarette lighter installed! 

There were some lovely examples of pounamu, or green jade, that is famous in one area on the South Island. Keep tuned, and you'll see lots more, I promise you, and if you live near us, come on by and see them in person!

A drop-dead gorgeous view from the very pleasant museum:

The Picton War Memorial honored those from the region who died in World War I.

Views from the Queen Charlotte Overlook - I preferred the latter one instead of the stacked timber logs prepared for export at the port!

We were so happy that we opted for the stunning 35km Queen Charlotte Drive to reach Havelock, even though it was longer than the state highway. The road was full of twists and turns, with exciting views at almost every one. We had to go so slowly that we even heard lots of birds singing in the trees.

Some people have seen dolphins at Ngauta Bay Preserve, but not us that day.

A little further on was the scenic Grove Arm Jetty. I think it was at this point that Steven kept repeating the word 'spectacular' at almost every bend in the road! In all our travels, I'd never heard him use that word so much until we reached the South Island!

Treasure the memories: How true is that!

Almost without blinking, the terrain changed from mountain switchbacks to pastoral countryside. There hadn't been a single shop, restaurant, or any services since leaving Picton.

We thought this was likely a large-scale reforestation project.

One view from the Cullen Point Scenic Preserve was toward Havelock at the head of Pelorous Sound: A fun bit of trivia for you: Havelock is the greenshell mussel capital of the world! A bit earlier, we'd noticed signs for cruises on the historic mailboat from Havelock. Imagine how much fun that would be.

The short but slightly steep hike to the lookout had been well worth the huffing and puffing, with the view in the opposite direction toward Mahau Sound. 

The Pelorous Bridge was the first of at least one hundred one-lane bridges we'd be traveling on throughout the South Island. Hearing a large truck rumble across its wooden planks is a sound I won't soon forget!

The Circle Loop Walk in the Pelorous Scenic Reserve, a magnificent slice of natural wonder, was another great excuse to stretch our legs.

Walking through the forest to reach the suspension bridge across the Rai River was a great reward, as I've loved suspension bridges ever since my first trip to NZ. This would be the first of several more to come!

I can hardly believe how much my hair has grown out since my 'trip haircut'  two months ago.

Trees had been cut down hill after hill after hill. I think it may have been part of a government program to eradicate invasive species, particularly wilding pines.

We were nearing Nelson, the geographic heart of the country, which has more sunshine than any other city, is home to Australasia's largest fishing port, and is overflowing with artists, craft beer, and craftspeople.

We beetled to the Nelson Christ Church Cathedral, the center of Anglican worship since 1842, wanting to visit it before it closed that night.

You may recall from our visit to the Te Papa Museum in Wellington that New Zealand's founding document was the Treaty of Waitangi, signed by the Crown of England and Māori on February 5, 1840. One of the stops it made on its way throughout the country for signing was near Nelson.

Nelson in the 1890s:

I'm sure that Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, who attended services at the cathedral on January 17th, 1954, must have been impressed by the lovely stained-glass windows and the immense organ.

The ceiling almost looked like a quilt pattern.

I don't recall seeing a maze inside a church before. Do you?

I read that the rear-facing "skeletal" tower was a controversial design element.

We'd initially planned to plow on to Motueka, our stop for the next two nights, but we were so charmed by Nelson and hungry to boot that we decided to stop there for dinner.

In Commonwealth countries, red poppies initially signified men who lost their lives in the Great War. In New Zealand and Australia, on April 25th each year, or Anzac Day, which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, marks the anniversary of the fateful landing on the Gallipoli peninsula on April 25, 1915. While it began as a tribute to those who fought at Gallipoli, the meaning of Anzac Day now includes honoring all Australians and New Zealanders who have lost their lives in service. 

The pedestrianized Trafalgar Street was one of the main streets in town and a delight to stroll down in the early evening light.

We didn't realize initially that it led back to where we'd started our discovery of Nelson, at its Christ Church Cathedral!

Steven and I had hoped to explore the well-regarded Nelson Provincial Museum after reading that it was one of the nation's most modern and that it housed a large number of Māori artifacts. Unfortunately, we ran out of time. The next afternoon, we met delightful North Islanders Alastair and Nicky on a cruise of the Tasman Peninsula. As they were visiting Nelson for a few days. Nicky kindly took the photo for me! Thanks again, Nicky.

We were lucky to have great reflectors on the road during the hour-long drive to Motueka, which made it so much easier for Steven.

Next post: You already know about the afternoon cruise, but in the morning, we reveled in a Kaiteriteri waka experience, learning about Māori traditions firsthand on land and in the water.

Posted from just a two-day jaunt to Denpasar, Bali, in between a few days in Timor Leste and, beginning late tomorrow, several weeks in Taiwan, a country we've been trying to visit several times since 2020, when Covid first laid travel plans to rest for everyone. We've wanted to visit before it's invaded by its HUGE northwest neighbor! Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones.