Thursday 20^th. March.

Lovely drive from Nelson to Picton

Winding up and down roads surrounded by hills of douglas fir plantations, and native bush with an increasing number of tree ferns.

At Havelock we meet the sea although it is 50km. to open ocean. Up here it is a maze of twisted land and sounds and bays: The Rough Guide rightly uses the word Filigree.

  

 

We take the Queen Charlotte Scenic Route east to Picton, first along the Mahapikawa Arm of Pelorus Sound, the cross land to the Grove Arm of Queen Charlotte Sound. This is a slow road winding up and down and in and out of the ravines and ridges of the land covered in bush, and you get only glimpses and occasional viewpoints of the water in the sounds below.

 

 

 

One spectacular viewpoint is on the road above Shakespeare Bay, where a big ship is being loaded with timber from a very big holding yard: an impressive operation.

 

A second is another kilometre on, above Picton, and the sight is impressive again, as you can see the whole of Picton laid out below you; the ferry operations, the town and the marina, all tightly contained by surrounding hills.

First thing I do is drop in at the Ferry Terminal and am successful in getting tomorrow’s midday sailing switched to early morning. Second I grab a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich for lunch at a café on the high street. Third I visit the pharmacy next door for some Manuka Honey sweets as I still have a tickly cough once or twice a day, and some deodorant powder for my trainers which are positively radioactive in this heat.

I go to the Edwin Fox Museum and spend a good couple of hours here, and I am one of only 2 customers. The Edwin Fox is the sole survivor of the East Indiamen sailing ships. She was built in 1853 near Calcutta, but spent more time on trips to New Zealand and Australia, bringing settlers, and a few convicts in the latter case. She served as a supply ship to the Crimean War, and later was fitted with refrigeration but only as a holding warehouse in port, then as a final indignity was dismasted and hacked about to act as a coal bunker for the boilers powering the new more efficient refrigeration plant at Picton Harbour. When all that came to an end it was cheaper to beach the old hulk at the aforementioned Shakespeare Bay. She was rescued from destruction by a group of enthusiasts in the late 60s and brought into dry dock. She is really only a shell, but very interesting to some people.

 Notice the use of Patent Wrought Iron instead of Oak Knees

 

 

 

Bask in the evening sunshine at a Motel on the shore of the next Bay to Picton.