The drive from Martinborough to Masterton took about 40 minutes and was uneventful. Which is just what you want to be able to say when the national road toll regularly reaches around 300 deaths per year. It rained the whole way, apart from when it was snowing and hailing. I can’t say the journey was boring, more unremarkable! Which is a good way to describe Masterton. Maybe it was the rain, hail and snow however I drove from one side of the town to the other, went around a round-about and drove out again without finding a single reason to stop. I just couldn’t find one. I really tried, I really did, however I just couldn’t for the life of me convince myself that it would add to my day or life in any conceivable way. So, leaving Masterton behind, I headed for Carterton and a coffee. Carterton is a pleasant small town and unlike Masterton holds a bit of allure. It’s surrounded by farmland and hills that provide a lovely backdrop for the town itself. I stopped at a place called Wild Oats for coffee and drank it while rummaging through a second-hand store called Bizarre Attractions next door. A shop filled with curiosity, it had everything from records to old tin cans, toys and gardening equipment. I hunted through the vast collection of items in a world of happiness and while I didn’t find inspiring sophistication, I did find something better, joy and delight. Exiting the shop, finishing my coffee and bidding the owner Graham farewell, I took a moment to read about Carterton’s namesake Charles Rooking Carter at a nearby statue before walking back to my car.. The rain settled in once more and I became hungry. In need of lunch I made up my mind to eat in the nearby town of Featherston and that is where I headed next. John's Blog https://fromasmallcity.nz/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
The ferry docked in Picton on a stunning day. All the little bays and inlets that made up the Marlborough Sounds near Picton looked ideal for swimming and soaking up the sun. Driving off the ferry, it was the type of day that made me realise why so many people decide to spend an extra day or two in the area. Once off the ferry I stopped to refuel both the car and myself before starting the 692km journey home. Leaving Picton, I passed by Mount Pleasant, Koromiko and Spring Creek before taking the wrong exit at a roundabout in Blenheim, eventually finding the correct road that took me through the Weld Pass and on to Kaikoura. It was somewhere along the Kaikoura coast, near the famous food truck Nin’s Bin that I started randomly pondering about the sites that I was passing. This led me to the conclusion that it’s amazing what you remember that you forget when you’re looking out a window. It also lead me to several observations about driving in New Zealand: Keeping left unless overtaking in a passing lane is apparently quite hard. Fields of Rapeseed are very pretty but have such an unfortunate name. The three waters bill doesn’t appear to be very popular. You can always tell buildings that were once a petrol station. Fonterra trucks turn often. There are plenty of places to buy bales of hay and horse poo. If we are living in the digital age, how come there are parts of State Highway 1 where I can’t get coverage? State Highway 1 is no place for a restored steam tractor to be towing a caravan and a car, no matter how lovely and old it is. Snow capped peaks and high mountain ranges that sit on the edge of the horizon alway look lonely yet strangely enticing. I love the sight of Dunedin from the Northern Motorway when you’re travelling south. John's Blog https://fromasmallcity.nz/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
I recently found Falls Dam at Fiddlers Flat. The only problem was, I wasn’t actually looking for the dam. I was looking for the Falls Dam fishing village, which, it turns out, is located further down the lake. After spending time in Oturehua, located in the Ida Valley, I proceeded to Hills Creek before continuing on the Wedderburn-Becks Road, until I met-up with the St Bathans Loop Road. I was heading for Falls Dam and it wasn’t long before I came to Fiddlers Flat Road and a signpost that read, ‘Falls Dam 6km’. John's Blog https://fromasmallcity.nz/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
