23 April 2015 - Ngatitoa Domain, Mana, Porirua Harbour

It did not take us long to drive up to Havelock and then come through to Picton via the Queen Charlotte Drive along the shore line of the Sounds to Picton. Our Tomtom and the tourist directions suggest the more suitable route is through to Renwick, up to Blenheim and then to Picton, a route about three times the distance of that we took, but in time, probably not a whole lot longer. Truth be told, it is more likely that the Transport Authorities prefer the tourist driver to stay well away from the coastal route, because it is slow, windy and very picturesque. Had Chris woken feeling as unwell as he sounded as he hacked and coughed through the night, I would have insisted I drive the last section of our South island tour, but I would have taken us on the longer route. As I explained to him when I told him the same, I see no point in travelling such a scenic route if one has to concentrate so intently on the road that the scenery is unseen; why not take the more efficient route where there is at least some peripheral scenery safely seen? 

We arrived at the ferry terminal by about 10 am, filled with diesel at a price more attractive than that encountered further south, and parked up in the car park close to the Marina. We donned jackets and set off out into the light drizzle to reacquaint ourselves with this charming seaside centre, delighting in the quirky signage and charming small town. We watched our Bluebridge ferry enter the harbour, passing the incident prone Government Interislander ferry heading out. The harbour was calm so I held on to the hope that it would be an equally calm crossing.

Bluebridge are such a delight to deal with, efficient, friendly, family like, and soon we were on board and settled down in the cinema lounge, where we were subjected to the ever entertaining movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, the third viewing in recent times. I was happy to absorb myself in the entertainment, because when I did bother to ascertain the crossing conditions, I found myself feeling particularly seedy. It is amazing what frivolous distraction can do!

We disembarked after 5 pm, into the busy Wellington rush hour. It took us almost an hour to make our way the thirty kilometres or less to Mana, and once arrived, we were dismayed to find that dozens and dozens and dozens of other motorhomers had arrived and settled in before us. We managed to find ourselves a spot on a grassy corner, reasonably level once I fiddled with the blocks in the dark, dined and fell into bed. Hopefully tomorrow we will find a more suitable camping spot.