Day 5: We lined up our car at the ferry docks in Wellington on this grey and gusty morning. The three of us and our car were going aboard the ferry to cross the Cook Strait and squeeze through Marlborough Sounds on our 92km journey to Picton in the South Island. We parked the car inside the ferry (a first for us) and made our way up to the luxurious passenger area upstairs. It's a huge and extremely comfortable vessel, complete with a cafe, souvenir shop, and several viewing decks on top. We passed a good part of the journey playing cards. Later, we went to the decks to enjoy the gorgeous vistas.
This is probably a good time to mention that it's better to return your vehicle in Wellington before this journey, and then pick up a new car in Picton. We signed a contract to drop off our car in Queenstown, which was all well and good until we were forced to cough up a pretty amount to ship the silly car across on the ferry. There's plenty of rental options in Picton, so avoid what we did.
It wasn't the prettiest day since the sun was missing in action. But shrouded the atmosphere with an air of mystery. As we drove out of our ferry in Picton, the difference in topography became apparent instantly. South Island is charaterized by wider spaces and fewer people, if that's even possible. On our way to Christchurch, we stopped at a winery for lunch and some native wine.
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