We join the queue to check in and rudely name call all the people who try to skip the line by using the outside lane which is CLEARLY marked for outbound traffic and then innocently attempt to merge into the waiting line up at the last moment — like they didn't realize. Fucksters and dickbots — that's what we label them.
Once through the check in, we join another queue to board the ferry. With some time to kill, we decide to make breakfast in the Scubby — nothing like a bowl of cereal and some fruit in the front seat.
It is only when we are eating that we realize that we are parked in the line up in such a manner that the entire convoy of cars for the ferry is looking at us as we eat breakfast... Oops... Hi there....
There are two ferry services to the south island — Bluebridge and InterIsland. Andrew from Cruzy Campers has advised us to take Bluebridge because it's cheaper — about $10 cheaper, from what we can figure. It all goes smoothly — we drive into the ferry, park and then go up top to find a seat in the lounge for the three hour ride. I go out on the front deck as we depart Wellington and hang around to watch the ferry clear the bay and head out into the open water. The Cook Strait is notorious for being a treacherous passage so I'm trying to get sense of the chop on the strait. Not too bad, from what I can surmise. I've already noted the location of the motion sickness bags, should one be required...
It's a blast of cold wind once we're into Cook Strait, enough that it sends most of us on the front deck running back inside. That's never seems to be a factor when watching a movie about the life of pirates and sailors — just how bitterly cold it can get out on the open seas. I will myself to stay out until the ferry clears the last point of the north island and then with a slight view of the south island on the horizon, head inside.
There's time for us to read the newspaper and share a coffee
For most people, the focus seems to be on sleeping or watching the movie playing in the lounge.
When we reach the shores of the south island, we head back outside to watch as the ferry navigates through the islands and straits into Picton. The wind has died and it is less cold, especially if you position yourself behind the heat vent of one of the ship's engines. The crowd up on deck is noticeably larger with everyone out to bask in the warm sun and observe the new island. We keep an eye out for whales and dolphins. The shoreline is rock and stone beach, with tall coniferous trees — rugged and with open pasture like hills, dotted with sheep and cottages that look only accessible by boat (the sheep and the cottages!).
We land in Picton and make a beeline for Blenheim and its i-Site, 30 K south. Blenheim and the neighbouring town of Resnick shape the heart of the Marlborough region — NZ's most touted area for wine. We've decided to skip over Marlborough for now, with plans to return and do it up proper after our kayak trip in March. But we do stop at one winery on the way out of the region, just to get a taste of what's to come!
Now we are camped at a little DOC campsite on the beach on Marfell's Beach near Cape Campbell. We like the DOC sites as they are cheaper and we always seem to meet new people who have interesting stories to tell, whether it be where they are from or where they've been. This site is no exception as we meet a couple of people as we wait to do our dishes and find out more about travelling to Argentina and South America and Bali. After hearing about Argentina, I am excited and determined once more to go.
The other campsites, the more established and organized ones, cost a little more and offer three things we need every so often — power, hot showers and Wi-Fi. We try to alternate nights — one in a DOC and then one in the commercial sites. It seems to work well.
It is cooler, with a brisk wind, sending us to our fleeces tonight for the first time in weeks. Tomorrow we hope to continue further south to Kaikoura to view the fur seals and see what we can do about swimming with the dolphins.
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