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Woke up to grey sky and rain, was yesterday all just a dream?
After breakfast we said our goodbyes to Bob, Mary and Amy and set off for Wellington. We parked up outside McDonalds to spend a couple of hours on the blog. I think I'm becoming addicted to their hot chocolate with marshmallows.
At 12.30 pm we queued to board the Interislander Ferry to Picton. I was getting a little worried by the predicted 4 metre swells and it was very windy. I acted on the advice of one of the crew, and sat in the middle looking out at the ocean. Due to the direction of the wind the swell was fortunately not from side to side but front to back, I felt this made a difference for the better. I slept for some of the crossing and went on deck to watch the ferry go through the Marlborough Sounds (a large group of islands), very picturesque. As we approached Picton the sky brightened and on leaving the ferry at 6.00 pm the sun came out.
We enjoyed driving to Nelson via the vineyards round Blenheim and the sea views from Havelock to Nelson. As we approached Nelson we could see evidence of many landslides from the recent storms, where whole trees had been washed down by the force of the water. The speed of the clear up operation was impressive but especially necessary as the area is normally very busy at this time of the year and they could ill afford to loose much needed business.
At 8.00 pm we arrived at our B&B, 'The Cathedral Inn' to be warmly welcomed by Sally and Neville. The situation of the property was stunning, set behind the Cathedral on a hill, it was one of the older properties in Nelson with high ceilings and it had the added bonus of a pretty garden. Julie had booked the B&B on our behalf and it exceeded our expectations.
After dropping off luggage, we set off to Upper Moutere (about a 30 minute drive) to visit Liz and John, friends of my sister, Sally. In fact Liz and I are godparents to Sally's daughter, Sophie. I hadn't seen Liz and John since Sophie's Christening 19 years ago, Sally however, still keeps in touch since they emigrated about 12 years ago. (I am taking a guess on this bit of information).
The sun was setting as we approached their home. A lovely house, set in 12 acres with very pretty gardens surrounding the house. We had a delicious cheese and wine supper with them and were able to show them recent pictures of Sally and family at her 50th birthday celebration in Devon. Liz then showed us a couple of places to visit in the area, there's nothing like talking to the locals. Home to our lovely B&B covered in Christmas Fairy lights (solar powered).
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