South day 6

Early start to the ferry now waiting to board.

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Fishing dudes say it’s lovely and flat out there. Yeah right. Turns out to be a lovely day but I took a cabin anyway so we slept most of it. Nice hot shower and a cabin with a view over the bow.

We will stay in Picton tonight and see which roads are open and where the better weather might be. In principle we will take the Queen Charlotte Drive tomorrow and after Nelson will head up the Takaka Hill to Golden Bay.

Picton used to be a dump you quickly got out of in my memory. Today it’s different, lots of new apartments and shops and a brighter look to the town.

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We walked around, had a cuppa (Lapsang Suchong no less) and browsed the second-hand bookshop.

Time to relax with fine dining, a nice wine and French cheese so expensive the checkout lady had a double take.

Anyway, here we are ready for walks tomorrow. Queen Charlotte Drive is a mess and closed except to residents.