Time To Go Home

Saturday had arrived and after my walk along the beach we pack up the Isuzu and gave back the key for the cottage.

After a family bar-b-que with other guests from yesterdays wedding, we headed north again to catch the evening Blue Bridge ferry. Theresa and Steven were coming back to Picton with us but were catching the Inter Islander again and a much later sailing.

A few minutes drive north from Kaikoura you can stop on the road side and see a seal colony. They seemed so far away from the bank so Harry and I found a little path down to the rocks and with Harry watching to make sure none of them tried to attack I took some more photos.

Not such an easy task when all they wanted to do was sleep and not be disturbed!

View from the road bank

There are actually three in this shot

This one scratched its nose...

...had a stretch...

...then settled back down to sleep!

This one may have got up but then flopped back down

"OK... I'll pose"

As we were leaving the last one quickly got up and posed and I had to take the photo quickly before it settled down again, so its a little bit blurry.

Further north we stopped at a rest area for a comfort stop and Katrina checked out the odd colour of the water.

We arrived back in Picton and after a coffee with Theresa and Steven we said our little good-byes and with what we thought was plenty of time, we soon discovered there were already plenty of others lined up waiting to be able to drive on to the ferry.

While waiting I saw this sign and I suddenly realised why it was called the Blue Bridge.

Dah! The ferry service was like a bridge between the two Islands and because it was over the water it is blue!

So we boarded and this ship was 25 years newer than the other we had traveled down on so there were new places to explore.

I really wasn't quite sure if I would have wanted our vehicle out on the exposed deck like these ones because on a rough crossing there would be a lot of salted sea water splashing about. Ours was tucked away inside.

As we pulled away from the docks, Picton and so, the South Island our little holiday was coming to an end. It was after 7.00pm and although the sea was calmer it certainly wasn't very warm.

Harry spent some time up on the top outer deck and I stayed with him for awhile.

The wind was cold although not strong so I headed back down and inside to some window seats Katrina was saving for us. Harry soon joined us when it got dark as it was very cold like a winters day out into the Cook Strait.

Arriving late in Wellington we headed back up to my brother and sister-in-laws place for a good nights sleep.
Sunday morning was wet, windy and cold and a gentle reminder as to why we had moved north from Wellington some 27 years ago.

As we drove the last stretch of road coming into Tirau I couldn't help notice the lovely green of the countryside and felt such compassion for the farmers in the Marlborough Sounds.