Decided to drive east today instead of west. The northeastern part of the South Island is known as Marlborough Sounds. There aren't many roads -- most of the area can only be accessed via boat. A good part of the drive was along Queen Charlotte Drive -- very scenic -- and very winding -- I felt like I was doing a slalom course -- can now understand why people wear driving gloves. After I reached Picton (which is where I arrived via the ferry from Wellington) -- I went south a bit to Blenheim -- and then looped back up to Havelock and then back to Nelson.
(side note: I originally wrote that the road was "windy" (pronounced in my head as wine-dee) instead of "winding". Re-reading though and I read it as windy (win-dee) i.e., lots of wind. So looked it up -- appears that I, along with many others, have been making up a word!
I didn't have as much time in Blenheim as I would have liked. I got off to a late start (made even later when 20 minutes into the drive, I realized that I had left my wallet behind.) And the Queen Charlotte Drive took a lot longer than expected. So I grabbed a late lunch in Blenheim -- and because it's the wine center of NZ -- also had a great glass of wine - Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (side note: last night I had a Brightwater Sauvignon Blanc 2013 -- really really nice)
My deep thought of the day: I wonder what it's like to be a cow (This after I was watching some cows walking in a line-- with a couple of renegade cows holding up the line by stopping to eat clover. As you can tell -- I'm doing a lot of deep thinking during my sabbatical)
Weather: more clouds than sun
Miles Walked: 4
km Driven: 307
pic notes:
(side note: I originally wrote that the road was "windy" (pronounced in my head as wine-dee) instead of "winding". Re-reading though and I read it as windy (win-dee) i.e., lots of wind. So looked it up -- appears that I, along with many others, have been making up a word!
I didn't have as much time in Blenheim as I would have liked. I got off to a late start (made even later when 20 minutes into the drive, I realized that I had left my wallet behind.) And the Queen Charlotte Drive took a lot longer than expected. So I grabbed a late lunch in Blenheim -- and because it's the wine center of NZ -- also had a great glass of wine - Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (side note: last night I had a Brightwater Sauvignon Blanc 2013 -- really really nice)
My deep thought of the day: I wonder what it's like to be a cow (This after I was watching some cows walking in a line-- with a couple of renegade cows holding up the line by stopping to eat clover. As you can tell -- I'm doing a lot of deep thinking during my sabbatical)
Weather: more clouds than sun
Miles Walked: 4
km Driven: 307
pic notes:
- 1 & 2: the cathedral in Nelson
- 3: Spur-winged Plover aka Masked Lapwing
- 4: Nelson Haven with water in it
- 12: Picton -- forestry is big business in NZ
- 13: Picton Harbor
- 14: there are miles and miles of vineyards around Blenheim. no netting -- so I'm assuming that the grapes have been harvested
- 16: Spotted Shag
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