Kaikouria to Picton (Waikawa)

Kaikouria to Picton (Waikawa)

The next day we headed to Picton, but not before spending the morning touring the enlightening Lavendyl lavender farm - I never realised lavender came in so many types or so many forms (including chocolates and mustards)! We stopped for lunch at Nin's Bin, a roadside caravan with seating by the oceanside which sells the tastiest fresh cooked crayfish, we had our crayfish served with freshly steamed mussels. Delicious!! Crayfish is a speciality of the area, but can be expensive, the roadside caravans which abound on the road just outside of Kaikouria (on route to Blenheim) are the best places to try crayfish without the cost of the town restaurants. Of course we did have to stop for the regular top up of NZ coffee (and cake) at The Store in Kekerengu, midway between Kaikoura and Blenheim. The terrace has views to die for.

22 - 25 Feb - We stayed at the Buckaneer Lodge, Waikawa (just along from Picton). The Buckaneer is easy to find if you have the right address, unfortunately we had the wrong address and spent a lot of time driving around to find it - only to find we were on top of it the whole time! When we did arrive at the front door we received a warm welcome from this Backpackers Hostel and were shown to an en-suite room on the first floor with a large balcony overlooking Waikawa and its large harbour. It was a treat to sit on the balcony sipping chilled wine as the sun went down. We did head to a place my o/h had read about in Picton called the Echo, which was a boat made famous in an American film. It is now a lovely little cafe and bar where you can see an eclectic collection of old historical photos and the original film featuring the boat. Prior to the film, it had been a working boat (scow) in NZ. After dinner, back at the Buckaneer, we found another sign of this great places hospitality - home made Pavlova. What a treat.

The 23rd was spent taking the Mail Boat Run with Beachcomber cruises. My weight had been reducing during this trip as I was more active, my arthritis was at bay and my confidence in my ability was sky high so I felt ready for the 10k walk from Resolution Bay to Furneaux Lodge, with a stop on the track for our packed lunch. On the way to Resolution Bay the Mail Boat stopped at Ships Cove where my o/h had his photo taken by Cooks Monument. This is special to us as we live near Newton under Roseberry Topping, where Captain Cook was born. A popular hike for my o/h is to Cooks Monument near Great Ayton (North Yorkshire). Now he has seen, and been to, two Cooks Monuments! On the 10k hike my o/h slowed down just for me, he is very fit and active and would normally run the 10k (as a seasoned orienteer). I thought I was being more energetic than ever! Our deadline was to be at Furneaux Lodge in time for the return pick up at 4.00pm - easy I thought, that would give us 5 hours. I thought I really could walk at about 1k every 10 minutes! Well, I do on flat land! After climbing up the hillside from the Bay to the track with the help of a rope due to the gradient, I was ready for my first stop of the day. The track was nothing like a walk along a pavement, it was pitted, muddy in places, steep climbs in other places and treacherous descents in yet other places. Only my desire to get back to the Buckaneer kept me going for the foot slogging final 2k to Furneaux Lodge. Fate meant we arrived just in time to grab an icecream before heading for the Mail Boat home. Would I do it again? Yes. Why? The views, the closeness to nature, the amazing wildlife we were privileged to see, and not least the sense of achievement I felt at completing a major challenge for me. Aside from that, the track was well populated with walkers, and had great stopping places for breaks and lunch stops. I will definately go back there, do the walk again, and next time stay at the lively looking Furneaux Lodge.

24th Feb found me stiff all over, with feet that felt like lead weights when I tried to move, not the best way to feel when we were embarking on a guided wine tour of the Marlborough vineyards. We were picked up 9.30am, stopped to collect another couple at about 10.00am from a Blenheim motel (a lovely couple from Australia) and then set off to visit 3 vineyards before lunch. We had lunch at a vineyard garden, by which time the alcohol was definately giving medicinal aid to my body. After lunch we visited another vineyard and a small shopping complex with local luxury food and wine produce for sale. We managed to head back to the Buckaneer with a dozen mixed wines from the various vinyards. During the tastings we found, to our surprise, that we loved the local Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling (we are normally committed red wine drinkers).

Trip tip - Waikawa has the largest marina outside of Auckland which was a shock to find, in such a small place.





New Zealand, Kaikouria, Picton