Our last day in Picton was warm and sunny and it was hard to believe there had been a huge storm the day before. However, when we checked in for the ferry, we were warned that it was very rough indeed in the Cook Strait and we would be delayed as they had to take extra measures to strap down the trucks and other large vehicles. Here is the interislander coming into port and turning around before docking.
We finally left Picton at about 3.15pm and Rick, who is a notoriously bad sailor, had upgraded to the luxury lounge and taken a pill to knock him out. Actually, we all took one as it seemed advisable given the dire warnings. I was secretly quite looking forward to it but in the end it wasn't really bad at all and we all dozed through it, courtesy of the Avomine. I've had worse sea conditions across the Channel - and much worse on one celebrated occasion 25 or so years ago in 'the ambulance'. We duly arrived in Wellington at about 7pm and drove back to Napier - in bed by midnight.
We have had a couple of fairly quiet days before departing this evening. Last night we had a barbecue with Rick and Judi's friends - many of whom we have met several times now over our three visits. It was a really good evening but I slightly overdid things on the electric soup front and felt a bit out of sorts this morning. I really must learn to 'just say no' to the Glen Slayer that inevitably sneaks out of the cupboard at the end of the evening but perhaps if I've not learned this by now, I never will.
Today we visited Classic Sheepskins (owned by Maurie,on Judi's left above) and invested in slippers, hats etc and then we went to Shed2 on the waterfront for lunch, which the girls will remember.
So that's it for NZ 2012! I hardly need to say we had a good time - hopefully that shines through - especially from the pictures.
Many thanks to Rick and Judi for everything - putting the whole trip together and looking after us. Thank you too to all their friends, who might be reading this, for making us feel so welcome. Napier is a special place for us, not only because it's beautiful and home to two of our best friends in the world, but also because you are such a great bunch of people! We will miss you all - until next time. Of course, if any of you want to come and visit the beautiful city of Canterbury in England, then you are welcome to come and stay. Rick and Judi will put you in touch.
Lastly, a special thank you to our daughter Ellie for the loan of her wonderful camera, which has produced some amazing images to remind us of such a great holiday - a select few of which you have seen on this blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment