Sept 5, 2008
Today was wet and man were the seas high. We flew down to Wellington to catch the ferry to the south island.
It is billed to be one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. Because of the weather, it was grey, wet, and the ferry was rockin and rollin. Fifty percent of the passengers were green, including me, and I have never before been seasick in my life but then again, I had never been on a boat that was so rocky in my life either. Most of the ride, after a beer, and a few games of rummy, was spent either outside to avoid the worst, or inside with our heads down on the table. People were puking left and right—reminded me of the pie eating scene in Stand By Me.
Taken from inside a cafe in Wellington. Look closely-there's a person in a white bunny suit crossing the street.
We made it to Picton, and rented a car to drive to Blenheim, just near Marlborough. It was our first time driving on the other side of the road, and at night none the less. I think I screeched everytime another car was coming. It is amazing how much willpower it takes to fight what is natural. Even when a car was coming towards us on the other side of the road, I had to fight my instincts and stay on the left! Weird!
Our hotel in Blenheim, just outside of Marlborough. It used to be a bank!
Our room.
The lounge area outside our room.
Our Ford Focus rental car.
Our hotel was pretty sweet. It is a former bank building, converted into a 10 room hotel, each room tastefully decorated.
We got into Blenheim at night, and headed straight for the bar for a glass of wine, followed by trekking to the local hot spot, Paddy Barry’s. Blenheim is a small town, and Paddy Barry’s was kind of like The Patio in El Segundo, complete with a cast of characters including those who had probably been there since 10am. We stayed for a drink, then moved on to Cornerstone, the newest and hippest bar in town, and not bad really. I had a Speight’s beer, which I liked.
The choppy boat across the Cook Straight. I have video too.
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