Kia ora (hello), from New Zealand.

New Zealand has a North Island (where Auckland is located) and the South Island and divided by Cook Strait. The ride through the Cook Strait was a wild one! Again, great to sleep and only wake up when something crashes across the cabin. Lol.

We arrived in Picton early in the morning. Navigating our way through channels into the Marlborough region of NZ (wine country). This region is famous for the Sauvignon blanc grape that loves the perfect combination of sun and coolness. Picton is a little town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound on the Northeast corner of NZ’s South Island. Population is 4,702. The sun is always shining. January and February are the warmest months and averages 72F. Winters tend to be mild with an average of 58F (wow, that’s winter!).

Queen Charlotte Sound’s colors range from turquoise to emerald, attracts seals, sea birds and dolphins. It’s also known for their crayfish, salmon, bluff oysters, paua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipes and tuatua (both are types of NZ shellfish). Picton is also famous for their green lipped mussels. Bob said they were delicious. Our ship served them for dinner the night we were in Picton (couldn’t be more fresh than that).

Bob and I took a tour today where we boarded a small boat, crossed the sound and hiked part of the Queen Charlotte Track along the beautiful coastline at Mistletoe Bay. The ride across the sound had spectacular views, rocky bays and hidden coves. Beautiful mountains surrounding us with lush greenery and blue skies.

Our guide (Grant) took a small group of us through the ‘bush’ on a rocky trail that climbed from the shoreline up to some rocky overlooks. As we walked, he would tell us about the foliage. I loved the giant tree ferns that formed a canopy above us, the silver ferns (one of NZ’s famous symbols), giant black Beech trees and wild flowers. It was like a fairy-tale. We climbed high and looked out over the water and then back down, what seemed like a new trail. Sure enough, Grant explained the trails in this area only last a few years due to earthquakes. The ground is soft and unstable so they have to rework the trails every few years. Grant also explained they have no snakes or any other creatures in that area that can harm us, only mosquitoes.

It is cicada season. They were everywhere and very loud. If you’ve never seen one, it’s kinda like a cross between a grass hopper and a beetle.

We really had a lovely hike. Mistletoe Bay is very remote and beautiful. We boarded the small boat and went back to Picton. We also noticed an area with an enormous pile of logs that were getting ready for export. We got off the boat and walked around the small town of Picton. People here are very friendly with a great sense of humor.

We stopped at an ice cream shop to have a scoop of ‘hokey pokey’ (vanilla with honey). There were hundreds of motorcycles in town. All wearing the same gear with a map of NZ on their backs (with sponsors). It was an international motorcycle rally. I seriously need to come back to drive these roads! We strolled through the cute little town and poked our heads into some of the shops. I did buy a pendant made from their paua shell (very colorful).

We took a leisurely walk back to the ship. You could see it in a distance, but wasn’t exactly sure how to get there. Go figure, someone in this town was thinking. They painted a blue line from middle of town all the way back to the ship. No way to get lost. This port is also popular for the giant car ferries. As we boarded, there was a huge line of vehicles, motorcycles and trucks boarding the ‘interland’ ferry.

We boarded the ship. As we sailed away from Picton, we stood up on the top deck to watch all the beautiful scenery. The pilot navigated his way through the channel, past beautiful islands. Small boats were in little coves and once in awhile you’d see a cottage here and there.

As the sun set, we looked forward to another day in New Zealand.

Ka kite ano (until I see you again)