Wellington to Christchurch via Picton
We started out early from Wellington, made our way to the port and boarded our inter island ferry, Kaitiki (Challenger). It was here that we said goodbye to Brett, our driver in the North Island. The clouds were black as we set off and it looked like being a miserable crossing. However, soon there were hints of blue in the sky and in no time the weather had changed completely although we did experience pockets of mist. On the crossing we saw a whale’s water spout but it was too far away to see the whale.
Once on dry land again our South Island driver, Trevor, met us. We were soon on our way along Highway 1 to Blenheim, a famous vineyard area. From there we were in sight of the sea as the main road travels along the coast as far as Kaikoura. On the way we passed several colonies of New Zealand fur seals. We stopped for lunch at Kaikoura, where fish and chips were on the menu. Then it was on past Goose Bay to the outskirts of Christchurch, where we would be staying for one night.
