More to follow as I get time.
And now, I got time and a free WiFi hookup at Emersons Brewery and Pub in beautiful Dunedin, NZ
Herewith:
We left Wellington and took the relatively short cruise to Picton, at the North end of the South Island. I awoke about 7:30, looked out the port window to notice we were backing up slowly. I went up to get my morning coffee and found we were docking in a narrow channel that dead ended in a mirage where a handful of sailboats were moored. The area was very hilly and green. Beautiful.
Today was going to be a short day ashore. We were to be back on board by 3:30 for a 4:00 pm departure.
From Wiki:
Picton (Māori: Waitohi) is a town in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand's South Island. The town is located near the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound, 25 km (16 mi) north of Blenheim and 65 km (40 mi) west of Wellington. Waikawa lies just north-east of Picton, and is often considered to be contiguous part of Picton.
The town is named after Sir Thomas Picton, the Welsh military associate of the Duke of Wellington, who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo.
Now you know about as much about Picton as I do.
We left the boat and took a shuttle for the short ride into town. We went to the iSite, the government run information place that is a great place to start in any new location. The nice lady suggested a hike to Bob's Bay, which we later learned is named after that famous Pictonite, or is it Pictonian? Bob the Fisherman.
We walked along the picturesque waterfront, past the usual shops selling hats, scarves, figurines, spatulas (yes, they are a popular item it seems) and jewelry. The harbor was full of boats, mostly large yachts, with a smattering of working boats as well. Crossed a high bridge over a channel and continued past the Queen Charlotte Yacht Club building to find the trail to Bob's Bay.
The trail led along the waterfront a ways, then began a climb up into the woods above the water. It was quite steep and a fall would put one in a bad sort. Parents were warned by a sign to keep their children tightly restrained.
The trail was quite nice. It was about a couple miles to the Bay. By that time we were out of sight of town, and had a view an island in the middle of the strait. There was a man with a Grizzly Adams length (or better) black beard fishing the Bay with his son. The lad had a surprisingly good cast. Barbara talked with them at some length and learned that he was 40, his son 6. He said when he was a teenager in Auckland he gave his parents a spot of trouble so they sent him South to live with his uncle.
We hiked back to town and found a cafe where we browsed some outdoor market stands and then had lunch at an outdoor cafe before returning to the ship.
It was formal night on board. I wore my usual uniform of slacks and blazer, with blue shirt. To wore my McIlhenny's Tabasco tie and collected a half dozen compliments from guests as well as crew members. We dined on beef tenderloin and shrimp, very good, as well as a coriander flavored soup, and salad.
Our dining companions were a couple from Hobart and a couple from Los Angeles, both couples retired. Toward the end of dinner the conversation veered into politics and immigration. It was all very civil, but I found that my views were more aligned with the couple from LA. When things get political in a social setting, I tend to withdraw somewhat. Polite dinner conversation, IMO, should avoid politics and religion.
A comment on the food. The food aboard is quite good and anything from the dining room can be had as room service. There is also the usual buffet, with an omelette bar for breakfast and the usual roast beef and such for dinner. I could get accustomed to this cruising lifestyle.
'nuff said for now.
I need to come back and ride a motorcycle around.
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