We lined up at the Bluebridge ferry terminal in Wellington. It was daylight, but only just, and we were looking forward to the ferry trip across the Strait.
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This was our fifth trip across the Strait with Bluebridge. We’ve always found them to be really good, particularly on the Strait Feronia. Today we were travelling on the Connemara, a new vessel for us.
Once we were settled, we headed up to the passenger area to check out our first experience with the new Pohutukawa Lounge, which they had on special for half price.
Big, comfy chairs, a nice little dining area and access to sheltered outside decks. It was fantastic. The price also included all meals and refreshments, which was just what the doctor ordered at 7am!
Although we were both still feeling a bit under the weather, it was lovely to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. There’s something pretty special about being out on the water, even when you’re not feeling your best.
After getting off the ferry in Picton, we headed to the NZMCA park at Koromiko, somewhere we’d never stayed before. It’s a great little spot, just a few kilometres south of Picton, so really handy for anyone coming off the ferry.
We settled in and spent some time sitting in the sunshine, chatting with some of our lovely new neighbours. It was nice to be outside, enjoying the fresh air and having a bit of a catch-up with other travellers.
The next day, we headed into Blenheim. I have a photographer friend who was in his last few weeks of running a pop-up shop in the main street, selling some of his framed prints. I was really keen to catch up with him, but given neither of us was feeling particularly well, I thought it was probably best to keep my distance rather than spread our germs around.
While we were in Blenheim, someone at Koromiko had suggested we stay at the racecourse. Apparently, it was a popular place for motorhomers, so after driving through town for a quick look around, we headed over to check it out.
What a great spot!
It’s a lovely park with some really nice people running it, and once again, we were blessed with a brilliant sunny day to find our way around the facilities and settle in.
We ended up staying here for about three days while we recovered. Fiona eventually made the decision to ring our doctor back in Auckland and get some Prednisone and antibiotics, as I was still as crook as a dog. She wasn’t much better herself, although she was at least beginning to show some signs of recovery.
So, instead of rushing off to explore the Marlborough region, we took things pretty quietly.
We had a lovely couple of days here, with books, magazines and plenty of sunshine. Sometimes, when you’re travelling, the best thing you can do is simply stop, put your feet up and let the world go by.
And that’s exactly what we did.
