January 11-13, 2024

We again took two Ubers to get us from Adstock House down to the ferry docks and once there, grabbed seats outside where a line was beginning to form to board the ship at 8:00 am for our 8:45 am departure.  Joanna and I, remembering the time we almost missed the ferry from Paros to Athens in 2017 due to a ticket mix-up, recommended we all get in line to in order to get good seats for the crossing. 

Soon enough we boarded and found a table on the main deck adjacent to a coffee, sandwich and pastry good outlet that was large enough for all of us to sit around and settled in for the four-hour cruise.  Depending on weather conditions, the crossing can be a rough one, but we lucked out and experienced a smooth journey. 

An hour or so out from the South Island its profile begins to appear and as you enter Marlborough Sound, the steep peaks that define its sides lend a dramatic air to the experience.  We docked right on time and retrieving our checked in bags disembarked and walked away from the shipyard into Picton town.  Having only snacked on board the ship, our first order of business was to grab some lunch and we selected Cortado Restaurant and Bar as their menu looked the best for all of us amongst the competing options close by. 

We ordered a pitcher (jug) of Fortuna Unfiltered Pale Ale and another of the Summer Berry Smash.  We would later add another pitcher of each as it took some time for our food to arrive, which would be a tuna ceviche, two pizzas, one a Garlic and Herb and the other a Veggie Mama and finally, an order of fries.  Except for those big wedge fries (which for their type were OK) it all went down smoothly and launched us out the door for a three quarters of a mile walk to our lodging for the duration of our stay, the AAA Marlin Motel.  This would be the only non-Airbnb we would use, and it worked out well for us. 

An old school single story drive-up to the door accommodation, we got two rooms, a regular queen bed for Kim and Marty and a two-room studio with a balcony for Joanna, Bev and I which included a compact but functional kitchen set-up.  The description is a little misleading as we had a ground floor unit that had a nice bit of outdoor space in the back, and a separate bedroom with two twin beds for Bev, so it worked out nicely.  Our cost was 615NZ ($400) roughly $130 a night split between the three of us. 

We unpacked and having picked up some supplies on the way, enjoyed a welcome drink in our room (it would become the socializing headquarters) before setting out to get dinner back in the downtown area at Seumus’ Irish Bar, a fairly accurate depiction of an establishment resembling that name.  Beers would be consumed along with a Seumus’ Original Platter (Pork Wontons, Jalapeno Poppers, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Onion Rings, Marinated Olives, Seasoned Potato Wedges, served with Dipping Sauces and Garlic Bread), just the right amount of food given the late lunch we had enjoyed earlier. 

We were seated at a booth on the street side of the bar next to a table of folks from Australia and enjoyed a humorous round of exchanges with them as we worked our way through the platter and a few more beers before the high note of the evening, two desserts (Sticky Toffee Pudding and a Double Chocolate Brownie, both with ice cream) and a round of the bar’s famous Bailey’s Slushy, ( ice cream, Bailey’s and perhaps some other form of alcohol concoction) that went down easy but packed a bit of a punch.  It was the perfect way to finish up a good day of travel, one that would continue a bit longer in our room as we shared one last drink before bed. 

The next day we spent a quiet morning either hanging out at the motel, or exploring elements of town, easy to do as Picton is pretty small, essentially the kind of place where people spend one night as they transition from the ferry to points beyond.  In the early afternoon we made our way down to the docks to board our afternoon activity on the Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise that Kim had booked through Get Your Guide, for a cost of $350 for the five of us. 

We boarded the boat and found seats inside, with a good view out windows in the front as well as the side of the boat.  We sailed out of the harbor at Picton and made our way up the Queen Charlotte Sound for a couple of hours, stopping five or six times to drop off mail as part of the New Zealand Post Rural Delivery Service along with groceries and smaller freight items to various outposts in isolated areas of the coast. 

As the route changes each day, it is hard to say where exactly we made our stops but the cruise itself was interesting as our pilot was well versed in the flora and fauna of the area and gave a long discourse on the regions efforts to eliminate pine tree forests as they are non-indigenous, invasive and produce acidic conditions that are harmful to native plant and sea life.  In addition, because of their rapid growth and flammability, the trees are likely to alter naturally uncommon ecosystem and drastically alter native forest regeneration.

One highlight of the cruise was a pause at an extensive Chinook salmon farming operation that used a number of ingenious features to mitigate its impact on the ocean that surrounds it and  make it a challenge to responsibly produce the fish for consumption.  The first was dealing with the waste droppings of the fish themselves to protect the purity of the bay the farm resided in.  The next was handling other members of the animal kingdom that regard salmon as a tasty snack.  The New Zealand fur seal is a persistent visitor to these farms and predator nets form an effective barrier against them, along with vigilance from workers on site to keep both seals and salmon safe. 

After our last mail drop, we turned around and made a straight shot back to Picton, disembarking with some time to spare before our dinner reservation at Oxley’s, a highly rated dining option in this small town.  With this group this meant making a beeline for the restaurants bar and enjoying a couple rounds of drinks (we did have quite a bit of time to kill).  Joanna started with a Peachy Candy (peach schnapps, vodka, lemon, pineapple juice, and grenadine) and for me in honor of another fun island experience we had on the north shore of Oahu with friend Hap at his condo, a Cosmopolitan (vodka, triple sec, lime, cranberry, and aquafaba).

We followed those up with glass of Sauvignon Blanc and were then called to our table where we were informed that even though to our eyes the dining room wasn’t full, that because they were so busy they would only be able to serve all food at once, that is no first course then second course.  We dutifully ordered, for Joanna the Seafood Chowder and for me that Chicken Caesar Salad.  Both were what one would expect, nothing out of the ordinary but very good none-the-less. 

We finished up and made our way back to the motel for another quiet evening as we anticipated a full day on the morrow with a wine tasting tour in the Marlborough region.  We’ll sip on that in the next post. 

Links

Cortado Restaurant and Bar: https://www.cortado.nz/

AAA Marlin Motel: https://www.aaamarlinmotel.co.nz/

Seumus’ Irish Bar: https://www.seumusirishbar.co.nz/

Mail Boat Cruise : https://www.getyourguide.com/picton-l32311/queen-charlotte-sound-mail-boat-cruise-from-picton-t179879/

Pine Forests: https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/129707761/pine-trees-pervasive-invader-major-ecological-threat–study

Oxley’s: https://www.oxleys.co.nz/