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| Marlborough Sound Ferry Crossing to the South Island. |
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| Arriving in Picton On South Island |
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| Swimming at Pelorus Bridge |
One of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand was the crossing between the islands.
For three and a half hours the ferry ploughed across the Marlborough Sound, past smaller craft and the inlets and islands that form the coast line. The Sound was calm and beautiful today but has a darker side. Weather systems funnel up from the Tasman Sea and can create ferocious conditions in an area that seems benign.
The Wahine Ferry sank within a stone's throw of Wellington harbour on 10 April 1968, a tragedy that claimed 58 lives and unfolded in full view of international television crews. Shortly after we left, a ferry got into difficulty in the harbour, in bad weather conditions, before sinking as it was under tow.
Arriving safely in Picton Harbour on the south island, the difference from the north island was immediate. It was small and less developped and exuded the sense of a frontier town.
We drove through the Marlborough wine district and passed a host of household names before stopping at Pelorus Bridge for refreshment. We walked the National Park route before falling into the crystal clear river that has a cut a path through the edge of the limestone escarpment.
Drying off and dressing we ate Loganberry ice cream before pressing on to our camp site at McKee Reserve for the night.
The sun set across the bay beside us and the sky turned a shade of purple that we had only previously seen in the Greek islands. Before long the Southern Cross appeared in the sky, followed shortly by the unfamiliar constellations of the southern hemisphere.
We spent longer than was strictly necessary gazing into the firmament, watching passing satellites and the occasional shooting star tear across the darkness.
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