Wellington to Nelson
An easy day in theory. Only a couple of hours driving for me but it started with a 5am alarm call. Get showed and dressed. Go get our tour vehicle out of the tour bus parking further along Wakefield Street in Wellington. Then await my tour group to present me with their suitcases prior 6.30am. Then a quick hotel breakfast and off for the ferry terminal to catch the Inter Island ferry to Picton.
A lengthy wait with other vehicles at the ferry terminal while they loaded the trucks first. Finally 8.30am we were on the boat for the 4 hour cruise. So there may not be long driving hours but certainly long work hours as Nelson was not reached to 5pm.
The ferry trip was uneventful with a number of ‘long black’ coffees consumed. Long talks with other tour drivers with their vehicles and groups aboard. I learnt nothing new but its always good to compare notes.
Disembark in Picton a little after 12.30 and we head around the Queen Charlotte Drive headed for lunch at the little village of Havelock. We stopped various times for photography. No one got sick around all the bends. Always a bonus. Haha
I believe Havelock must have all new welcome signs since the last tour I was there or maybe I just hadn’t in the past been that observant. In fact I remember now, one of my group noticed the welcom signs saying the home of the Green Lip Mussels. Now my mussel spat pickers maybe interested in that as correct me if I am wrong, but the Mussel Spat originates on my home Beach, Ninety Mile Beach in the very far north of New Zealand then we ‘export’ it down south to Marlborough.
Maybe we should erect signs up the far north saying ‘the birth place of Marlboroughs Green Lipped Mussel’.
After Havelock it was just a further 1 hour 10 minutes to Nelson and our hotel for the next 2 nights. The hotel appears new. Booked their restaurant tonight as we are 15 minutes from town.
Tomorrow Golden Bay to see the Golden sands then visit Pupu Springs
Peter and Xiaoli Tours 