One casualty of yesterday’s troubles (during my nearly 48 hour transit from the US) was that I never got to spend the day exploring Christchurch. Oh well - hope I’ll have a chance on my way back through at the end of the trip... I was too tired to care a lot about this, though, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow last night. Bonus: I woke up well rested (because the room was quiet and had a great temperature) this morning (just before 0500). I cleaned up several of my meager possessions and repacked bags. It was Monday at home so I had a lot of emails to review. At 0600, I went downstairs to check out of my room. While waiting, I found a lot of helpful brochures. Even though the kitchen wasn’t officially open until an hour later, the bartender lady from last night (Jen) had told me to stop in early so she could make sure I got breakfast. When she and the chef arrived (just after I did), she was true to her word. As a result, I was able to get Eggs Benedict right away. After scarfing down my delicious breakfast (0630), I caught a taxi to the Christchurch CBD. It was dark and rainy during my cab ride. Fortunately. my Kiwi driver was very colorful and friendly! The cost of the cab was much more than quoted the night before but I was still very glad to have the guaranteed ride to the bus station. This transportation scenario (ensuring I made to the bus time in time for the departure to Picton) had been one of my itinerary concerns but it turned out to be easy. For one thing, my bag weight concern was OBE since all I had was my little backpack... Actually, I'd initially hoped to take the train but learned (during my planning during the previous months) that the last train of the season left Christchurch on April 30. After that, it was only busses until the Spring. Regardless, I'd already accepted the alternative by the time I arrived at the station (0645). I first walked around to get my bearings; it was foggy and there was lots of standing water from overnight rain. However, I was lucky that (like yesterday) I was able to be outside without getting too wet. While waiting, I saw evidence of the 2011 earthquake - crumbled building facades nearby - but almost everything else looked brand new. After a bit more exploring, I located the bus stop for my "InterCity Coach." I talked to an older lady (a resident of Picton) who was already waiting and she told me about the route. At 0710, the bus arrived and I was able to check in with only my last name. Remembering something that helpful Kiwis had stressed, I took a seat on the right of the bus so I would have the best chance to see the ocean during the ride. We departed Christchurch at 0730 - the bus wasn’t full but there were lots of German speaking young people nearby. There was no bathroom or charging ports but I hoped that neither thing would matter. We drove through the north suburbs of Christchurch and made one stop on the way out of town. Later, we got on Highway 1 (the “Alpine Pacific Touring Route”), which was initially four lane road but later reduced to two lanes, and drove north. At first, we passed through areas of intermittent fog and bright sunshine. Later, though, weather completely transitioned from wet and turned into a gorgeous, sunny day. The scenery was mostly farmland (LOTS of sheep but also some cattle) and there were pretty green hills above the mostly flat land. We passed many huge shrubberies that were apparently designed as wind-breaks and/or sound barriers. In the little town of Cheviot, we stopped for a bathroom break (0915). Back on the road five minutes later, we then made another stop (Parnassus?) to drop off a passenger. As we progressed, Route 1 then got closer and closer to the mountains that line the eastern coast of New Zealand. To reach it, we had to cross over a steep ridge on a curvy, treacherous road - yikes! By the time we reached the coast, we were treated to spectacular views of the vast expanse of the South Pacific. I’d been told that I might see whales, dolphins and fur seals and I eventually caught glimpses of the latter. As I watched the rocky shore carefully, it looked like the boulders were moving but it was actually the seals. After about an hour of harrowing driving on hair-pin turns at the bottom of steep mountain cliffs, we reached the town of Kaikoura (1015). The bus driver parked near the entrance of town and we were told to be back onboard within 45 minutes. During the delay, I walked the length of the street a few times, exploring businesses, and took a short walk down to the shoreline. I checked out the rolling waves on the stony beach - it was hardly anything like sand. Still, for a kid who grew up on Cape Cod, the sea air seemed comforting and familiar... By this time, it was sunny, warm and breezy and I took advantage of the weather by shedding my light jacket (settling down to my t-shirt). After thinking about what I wanted for lunch, I stopped in at Kaikoura Sushi and ordered a roll that had teriyaki chicken and avocado and a drink. It was the first time I’d had such a combination in a meal but it turned out to be good. As I finished, I realized I was running out of time and this eliminated the chance to visit the town’s museum. I got back on the bus on time (1100) and immediately noticed several new faces and that other folks had left us. As we left town on Route 1, I ate my food and kept looking for wildlife - in the end, I only saw strange looking birds. For the first hour, the coastline terrain was pretty similar to what we’d seen before arriving in Kaikoura; there were lots of switchbacks on the edge of steep mountainsides over the water. After that, though, the road straightened and we gradually transitioned to longer, smoother beaches and wide panoramas of flatter landscapes. We eventually (30 minutes) moved away from the coast and passed through a huge wine producing area (Marlborough). We passed through the town of Seddon, the purported home of the "quintessential NZ Sauvignon Blanc". All around us, the fields (hills and valleys) were quite full of well defined vines (they were actually trimmed in rows) and I saw signs everywhere for winery tours. The leaves in this area were noticeably coloring for the Fall - prior to that, most of the rest of the drive had been through evergreens. The driver started speeding up noticeably at this point and the road quality diminished enough to make the ride less pleasant... Fortunately, we soon reached the larger town of Blenheim (1245) after this and made another stop so someone could get off the bus. This locality was full of stores and American fast food joints - much different than what I'd seen since leaving Christchurch! From there (still Route 1), we continued north for another 30 minutes away. Crossing another steep ridgeline on windy, curvy roads, we later descended into a beautiful valley of fiords where our destination, the town of Picton, was located on the shores of Queen Charlotte Sound. After we reached the end of the line, the driver dropped us off at the Inter-Islander ferry landing. I checked out the inside of the building because I was planning to use the ferry tomorrow - they answered a lot of my questions. I next started walking towards town along the waterfront. On the way, I got some maps from the visitor center and asked about how I could access/hike the Queen Charlotte Track, a 71K long walking trail between Queen Charlotte Sound and Kenepuru Sound. Unfortunately, the only way to get there was to arrange water transportation for both the start and finish and I obviously didn't have enough time for that. Next time! Proceeding across the little town, I passed lots of cool restaurants and bars and noticed that the many hotel options all had rooms facing the Queen Charlotte Sound. It was all very pretty! My own lodging at the Harbor View Motel was very close to the water and appeared to be sitting at the top of a terraced hill. As a result, I found an amazing view from my room when I check-in (1340). Since my clothing options were still rather limited, I did some laundry (in the sink). I opened the windows and got a good breeze going - even without screens, there were no bugs! I also reviewed my brochures and made some changes to my itinerary. At about 1530, I was ready to go out again. Leaving the hotel, I walked east until I was able to reach the public boat launch and found the entrance to Victoria Domain. Crisscrossed with lots of trails, some using the moniker of “Track”, the natural area included a tall hill that purported to provide spectacular views of the town, the harbor and several more distant areas of the Sound. Initially, I was just planning to scope out the trails for a hike the next day but then I realized it might rain before then and that I’d miss my chance. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and started uphill on the Harbor View Track. Along the way, I passed signs for the Snout Track and started to wonder if I could make it that far before it got dark. The climb wasn’t too bad because there were lots of switchbacks and I was soon looking down on the Picton harbor. The trees were too thick for good photos so I kept going north. Soon, I was able to see better views of the fiord-like channels that comprised the Queen Charlotte Sound. When I reached the Ridgeline Track, I used it (and a paved road) to find the Snout Track. By that point, however, it had started to rain. Reluctantly, I turned around and walked back down the hill to the Marina. Throughout the hike, I never saw any other people... The rain stopped after I came out of the Victoria Domain. I crossed the Coathanger Bridge to reach town again - by then, I'd walked just over three miles. By then, it was about 1700 so I started walking around Picton, looking for a good place to eat. The options were many but I noticed that the prices were much higher than I’d yet seen in New Zealand. Personally, I think the extra expense might be worth it because of how nice the town is. I eventually sat down to eat (outside) at Cortado Restaurant and got some good pulled pork nachos. Since I've had good luck with locally sourced beer, I tried one they had on tap from the Boom Town Brewery (“Marlborough Lager”). I was finished eating by 1750 and then headed back to the hotel. After that, I relaxed in my room, reading and watching New Zealand television. I noticed that all the outlets had little switches to energize them (or not). At 2100, I was tired enough from my long day that I easily went to sleep. Overall, I feel good about today. I am glad that I could make it to the places where I had reservations, was able to make do with less than half of my personal belongings and discover (yet again) that places can be just as good in reality as they are on paper. Hoping the weather continues to cooperate tomorrow!
