This coming from a Kiwi, I started to question my decision to dedicate 3 of my 31 days in New Zealand to Picton, a small town at the top of the South Island which most people use as a convenient one night stopover before catching the ferry to Wellington.
I needn't have worried; in fact, as soon as I'd dumped my stuff at the hostel and headed out to explore, I knew I'd easily be able to fill my three days. The scenery waiting for me at the waterfront was gorgeous:
And there's heaps more where that came from! What I was most excited about was the dolphin swim, although this unfortunately turned into dolphin viewing :( We did see Hector's Dolphins but they're a protected species so swimming with them is prohibited - but they were in such a playful and sociable mood that watching them hitch rides in the current generated by the boat, swim up close and leap out of the water was super cool.
Dolphins, dolphins everywhere!
We didn't happen upon Bottlenose or Common dolphins (species you can swim with in NZ) which was a shame, especially as we had a beautiful day for it - warm, clear blue skies and alluring emerald water - but what can you do. Hoping for a third time lucky scenario in the Bay of Islands. Disappointing, but still had a great cruise around the Queen Charlotte Sound and saw other wildlife including fur seals and teeny tiny penguins.
I spent the rest of my time checking out the walking trails Picton has to offer. One afternoon I did a 20k return walk to Waikawa Bay which was beautiful:
And on my first afternoon I did a 4 hour return trail to The Snout, which boasts stunning views of the Queen Charlotte Sound. The photos don't really do it justice and didn't come out all that well but here they are anyway:
I also managed to squeeze in 1.5 walks through the Esson Valley. Both led to dams but I only managed half of the second walk because there was a mountain goat blocking the path. While I was keen to finish the walk, this thing was stubbornly standing its ground, had horns and was staring at me with red eyes. DEVIL GOAT! Reluctantly turned back and headed hostel-wards (swivelling my head round every 10 seconds to check whether I was being pursued by this furry four-legged spawn of the devil).
I've had a fab time in Picton; it's a gorgeous place and the hostel (Sequoia Lodge) is lovely, especially after coming from the crappy one in Kaikoura. Next stop, Wellington. I'm sad to leave not just Picton but the South Island - there's so much that I've missed including the glacier walk in Franz Josef and Abel Tasman National Park, but taking time and budget into account I think I'm making the right decision. Bit gutted about Abel Tasman but hopefully the coastal landscape in the Bay of Islands will make up for that :) To the North!
