Ripped untimely from our bed at 5.30 am (with a good 2.5 hours in the sleep tank 😉) we showered (going for the Dolly Partonesque “trying to come alive” strategy😉) then staggered under the weight of all our stuff to the station, where we had to book our suitcases in airline style…
We had booked tickets for one of the 3 Scenic train rides that NZ Rail offers from Christchurch to Picton, a 330km jaunt taking c.6 hours, with 2 stops en route🚅, namely The Coastal Pacific
These trains are specifically designed with an open air viewing carriage plus panoramic windows in the seating areas😊
We boarded and familiarised ourselves with the headphones for the commentary..
We found ourselves sitting opposite a retired Australian couple from Brisbane, Nickola (with accent on the “oh”, not the usual “ih”) and Barry.
They had travelled extensively and we had an instant rapport, much enjoying their conversation and insights 😊
(There you go Nickola, true to my word😉)
It wasn’t long before the viewing carriage called as dolphins and a seal colony had both been spotted 🐬🦭
At the stops in Kaikoura and Blenheim, 2 places we stayed at on 1st & 2nd January with C & M, we got off the train for a much needed leg stretch…
As we approached the final stretch to Picton we passed some huge salt production tanks coloured pink 🤔
NB Image copyright Nickola
…and then we got our first glimpses of the very scenic harbour town that is Picton😊
After a quick bite we contacted our Air B ‘n B host who kindly offered to collect us…
We spent some time re-organising our luggage before I dozed off for, allegedly, 40 mins (one for each wink🤔😉) then set off c. 3.30 pm to explore what Picton had to offer.
Every place we’ve visited before that has a ferry terminal seems to be defined by it and dominates the visitor’s first impression of the area
This is definitely not the case here where this highly attractive town offers far more, including a fleet of water taxis and boat based fishing operators from it’s first class marina with multiple jetties – plus a beach for water lovers too😎
With the temperature still on the rise we had a couple of cold beers then the best curry I’ve ever had.
Named after the Blue Mountains in India, my eponymous (well, almost..) curry jumped off the menu and chose itself 😉
Got back to our accommodation c.8.30 pm – at least 10 mins had passed before the “non afternoon dozing person” that is Julie fell into a very deep sleep 😴😴😴
Yet another fabulous day from Kiwiland😊🇳🇿
BTDU 