01/1/2017 - A new island

Day of week: Sunday

Cities visited: Blenheim, Picton, Wellington

Lodging: Mike's parents' house in Wellington

We woke up on new year's day and packed up so we'd be ready to go. When we went outside we found Mike's parents and their two dogs on the patio. With everyone up we found a way for the eight of us to share a small table for a breakfast of muesli, milk, and fresh blueberries and strawberries.

Then we packed up the car and all headed to the local farmers market. It felt a lot like the US except that produce and meat were noticeably less expensive than in NZ supermarkets, while its the opposite in our experience in the US. And the food stands, like food in general in New Zealand, skewed British. We opted for a hot pork pie snack. 

After some instructions from Mike's parents and saying goodbye to our friends and Mike's family we made the easy drive north to the ferry terminal in Picton and, with a little fuss and parcel-lugging, returned the rental car. On the ferry to the North Island we enjoyed the view and took some time to read.

Emma taking a photo from the ferry...

Fruits of her labor, pt. 1 - the contrast of mountains and water
was consistently beautiful in NZ

Fruits of her labor, pt. 2 - the open water

When we arrived in Wellington the local Budget office was closed so we waited around a little and finally got our new rental car. Though the weather was fine in Picton it was windy and drizzling the rest of the day in Wellington, and ended up with a kind of driving rain that was the worst weather we've seen so far. 

Unfortunately we punctured our rental car's rear tire on a sharp driveway in the process of parking at Mike's parents' place. As flat tires go this was a best case scenario -- we were already at our destination and the local service came and changed the tire quickly. And we had paid for extra car insurance, so the repair was free on the margin.

More unfortunately, Zach was not feeling well -- New Zealand's intense greenery induced allergies. In hindsight we probably should have taken him to the doctor then, but instead we made tea and read for a few hours in the beautiful house. We could tell that on a clearer day there's a lovely view of the bay. 

Eventually we picked ourselves up and drove into town to dine at a local Italian favorite called Cin Cin. Standard fare, though the fresh mussels, clams, and prawns in the seafood linguine were delicious. The restaurant is on Cuba Street, a happening strip with plenty of food and shopping. 

After a slightly hair raising drive home through the dark, wet, and unfamiliar city streets we arrived safely home and went to sleep. A big thank you to Mike's family for letting us sleep in their lovely home that evening!