Apr 21st: Westport to Picton

Day 18 (Day 14 in New Zealand)

Our last full day on the extraordinarily beautiful South Island. Our journey to Picton was only 2 hours so we decided to take the scenic route. It’s 26km shorter but takes an extra 20 mins. If you want to see why, check out the section from Havelock to Picton via Linkwater on Google Maps and zoom in. 

Before we got to the best bit though we stopped for a coffee at Pelorus Bridge. Outside was a penny farthing. As we went inside to order a guy came out and road off on it. There are some serious step hills around here and the bike has no gears!


Sat outside in the sunshine Julie made a friend. Not sure but it might be an Abyssinian?

Driving all these hairpins up and down was great fun. There were several sections where one lane was closed due to road collapses (avalanches). One of them was a section of about 20 metres where more than half the road was missing and a sheer drop to the side. 

The views from Cullen Point and Mahaki Paoa Lookouts were particularly - sorry to keep using the word - stunning.


As we drove into Picton I realised I knew nothing about it. It is just somewhere we have to be to catch the ferry tomorrow to the North Island. It is a beautiful little place. 

A fishing town as well as a busy port but perfectly geared to tourism without being over the top. It helped that the sun was shining, of course, but we were really taken with the place. 

As we sat on a bench overlooking boats in the harbour with mountains all around I wondered if it could get any better. Just then, two old guys with guitars started playing some Pink Floyd. 

I had a chat with one of them who said he had moved to Picton from elsewhere in New Zealand about 45 years ago. He told me when his wife first saw the town she remarked that the only way she was leaving would be in a box!

We sat outside a bar enjoying a beer/wine with this view. Our waitress was from Leicester!



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