My first day in the South Island
Monday 2004-03-29
The ferry was supposed to leave Wellington at 9:30 am, but was delayed for about 30 minutes because of high seas. Once we got started it was a bit rough and several people looked a little green, but about 1/2 way across the seas started to calm down and it was much smoother. We entered the Queen Charlotte Sound on the South Island at about 1:00 pm. It was just beautiful! Everyone was out on deck taking photos. I picked up my new car in Picton and began my travels on the South Island. Carol had recommended that I take the scenic route out of Picton - the Queen Charlotte highway. It goes right along the edge of the Sound and is a beautiful drive. As you might expect, it's a very slow and winding road. It took about an hour to get to Havelock, which is a small town on the edge of the water. Havelock is famous for its mussels, so I stopped there for a bowl of mussel chowder. It was very, very good. After Havelock the road straightened out and the drive was faster. I continued driving west and in about one hour I was in Nelson, which was my destination for the day. I found a nice B&B near the center of town and dropped off my things. Then I went exploring the town. I really liked the city center in Nelson. Lots of nice shops. Everything was very clean and well taken care of. You could tell that the people were proud of their city. I found one of several internet cafes and did my (almost daily) emails. And then found an Indian restaurant and had a nice meal. I was enjoying the downtown so much that I decided that I would spend more time there the next morning. Most of the shops had been closed when I arrived and I wanted to pick up a few things before leaving.