22nd November 2008
Time for us to leave the North Island and take the early morning ferry to Picton. The ferry we caught used to be called the Pride of Cherbourg (you could still read its name on the side) and is the biggest passenger ferry in New Zealand. After such an early start we spent most of the initial part of the journey catching up on some sleep, but once the ferry started to move into Marlborough Sounds with its spectacular scenary and lush green backdrop we moved up onto deck to take a look. It was a brief look though since the weather hadn’t exactly warmed up since yesterday!
On arriving into the Picton Terminal, we located and caught our bus to Christchurch. The five and a half hours seemed to pass relatively quickly once we got chatting to our bus driver and an American couple who were sat across the aisle from us. They were doing pretty much the same as us and had sold their flat in New York and weren’t sure where they were going when they got back. Spooky!
The journey itself took us down along the coast, right alongside the rocks and their masses of Southern Fur Seal colonies at some points, before turning away from the sea and into New Zealand’s flatest area around Cantebury. We finally arrived in Christchurch at 6.30. It was then a case of hostel, food, bed.
