In a state that was surprisingly bright and fresh for 5:30am, I completed my morning ablutions without incident. A feat that I was rather proud of considering I hadn’t yet awoken my internal systems with coffee. Then, ensuring to leave my accommodation key in the designated spot for housekeeping to find later, I quietly slipped out into Piction’s fresh morning air heading for the ferry terminal, the Marlborough Sounds and later Wellington. John's Blog https://fromasmallcity.nz/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
I’m always pleased when I can depart a ferry in the manner in which I boarded rather than having to swim ashore. So it was, my mind was most happy that I was able to sedately drive off the Bluebridge ferry in Wellington and begin my search for breakfast, brunch and lunch. I have to admit to not having the most sturdy of sea legs and to avoid breakfast making a sudden surprise appearance, my food intake through-out the morning had been minimal. Finding myself back on dry land and with my stomach letting me know it was now ready for food, I went in search of sustenance. I navigated the city streets for a while and got hopelessly confused with a Wilson’s parking building before settling upon a delightfully busy place called the Pickle and Pie for lunch. Patiently waiting to be seated as the sign directed, I spent the next hour discovering how ravenous I was while at the same time revisiting a previous observation of the Wellington lunchtime crowd. I noted that once more I found myself in a busy eatery, in the capital city, around noon without a lanyard around my neck! John's Blog https://fromasmallcity.nz/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
The next day, heavy, dark clouds hung overhead like a thick blanket and in the distance a wall of weather loomed ominously on the horizon. Between, patches of blue sky gave a sense of hope that there might yet be some fine weather left in the day. I hoped so, I was heading for Cape Palliser Lighthouse, the southernmost point of the North Island. Approaching the coast which would eventually lead to the Lighthouse, the wind picked up and the countryside changed to a beach of blacksand with dramatic pinnacle cliffs. Occasionally I’d pass cribs and huts that were scattered along the road that held little or no protection from the elements. I manoeuvred past partially washed out roads and small villages that were filled with crayfish pots and fishing boats that were pushed into the sea by bulldozers. The road narrowed to a single lane, a ford had to be negotiated, fallen rocks scattered the way ahead and I lost wifi coverage. This was a place that you’d truly have to love to spend any length of time. It was New Zealand’s rugged coastline at its very best and what’s more, it even had a Lighthouse! John's Blog https://fromasmallcity.nz/ The latest print price guide: https://bit.ly/3oLw9OI
