PIcton

Trip to Picton

February 11, 2024 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

On the 25th of January, we took off from home to travel to the North Island. Most of us had never been there before, but we were invited to a conference just north of Palmerston North. We decided to go, and then go on up to Auckland to get US passports renewed for six of the children. Some friends here loaned us their van, since we no longer have a van and would have had to take two cars. We were away for a total of 12 days.

On our way to Picton, where the ferry takes off for the North Island, we stopped for lunch at Lake Rotoiti, in St. Arnaud. There were a lot of eels under the pier that went out into the lake, looking for a handout. It was fun to see them!

When we arrived in Picton, we had a few hours before we needed to check in at the holiday park where we planned to spend the night, so we went to the marina. The aquarium that used to be there, which we visited a couple of times years ago, is gone–there is an empty space where it used to be. The Edwin Fox museum next door is still there, though, so we went through it. We couldn’t actually go on the ship this time, as it is being restored, but we enjoyed watching the film about its history and looking at the ship.

Mr. Imagination and Mr. Sweetie enjoyed the cutout pictures!

Little Miss enjoyed climbing on top of an anchor.

After we settled in at the holiday park, while I heated the soup for our supper, Gayle took the younger children to the pool. They loved swimming!

Holiday Trip Day 3

April 24, 2012 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Tuesday morning in Picton, while the trailer was being tied down those of us who were not involved with that process explored the rushing creek beside the campground. Our tents had been pitched just beyond the bushes on the left side of this picture, so we got to listen to the water all night.

A bridge went across the creek here, and a trail went along it on both banks. Grandma and several of us went exploring.

We found this beautiful waterfall downstream just a short ways.

Here comes the train! The track ran along the hillside maybe 200 feet from our campsite! Three trains roared through during the night! We were glad that most of the boys slept through the noise.

After we left the campground, we started up Queen Charlotte Drive again. This time, we made it past the lookout over the harbor without stopping (no ferries in dock or coming in, this time!), but just a short way past, there was another overlook! We pulled in, thinking maybe we’d just take a quick look from the van. No way–there was an enormous logyard down there, and we ended up spending half an hour or more watching the activity down below. There were log trucks coming in constantly to be unloaded, with huge clam loaders that took an entire load in one trip, and then sorted the logs by size. There was one clam loader being worked on, as well. There was a barge tied up to the dock, but nothing loaded on it. This is a deep-water harbor where ships come in from the ocean to load with logs which are taken to Japan, processed into lumber, and then the lumber is shipped back here!

On we went again! The scenery was so amazing that Gayle stopped at most of the tiny pull-offs on the way up the hill, so he could admire the view, too. We were glad he stopped, rather than trying to look as he drove; that would have been downright dangerous. The Marlbourough Sounds are spectacular!

Some of the geologic formations along the road were really something to see, too–look at these rock layers!

Almost to Havelock! We stopped at another overlook and Gayle and the children went down the trail to these mudflats that are exposed at low tide.

Made it to the bottom! Now they have to climb back up the hill.

We ate lunch at a small picnic area at the edge of Havelock, and watched the tide starting to come in to cover these mud flats as we ate.

On we went again, this time as far as the Pelorus Bridge, over the Pelorus River. This bridge is one lane, with a walkway along one side. We walked over the bridge, then down a trail to the rocks along the side of the river.

Simon has learned how to skip stones, and Esther somehow caught a picture of his best skip–seven jumps!

Gayle and the children walked down another trail while Grandma and I went back to the van. They got to cross this swinging bridge.We made it as far as Nelson that night, and found a campground there.

Holiday Trip Day 2

April 22, 2012 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Monday morning we were all up at the crack of dawn.

We pitched our tents between this road and some bushes; right on the other side of the bushes was the sea!

There were gorgeous flowers along the shore.

There was also a lot of Silverbeet (Swiss Chard) growing wild. We harvested some for our supper the first night (it tasted quite salty!), and also for lunch and supper the second night.

While we were eating breakfast around the trailer, we got to watch sheep walking along the very edge of the cliff above us!

Baby doesn’t mind his surroundings too much, so long as he has his mama!

This was the view to the east of our campsite. While the trailer was being tarped, some of us walked down the road to the fence in the distance.

After we left our campsite, we drove around the Lake Grasmere Saltworks. Those are huge piles of sea salt, produced by evaporation from huge ponds.

The salt evaporation ponds.

See the salt along the edge?

Vineyards near Blenheim.

This is the kind of route we were driving a lot of the day.

We stopped just north of Blenheim to cook hamburgers for lunch at a rest area beside the highway. The boys enjoyed playing in the bushes.

Our first family picture with the baby!

We stopped in Picton in the late afternoon. After spending an hour or two in an aquarium, we went to the marina for awhile. The boys and their dad walked around looking at the boats, while the rest of us waited at the van. We got to see this car ferry coming in!

The ship had to turn around and back into the dock.

Late in the afternoon, we left Picton and headed up the hill on the Queen Charlotte Drive, intending to go halfway to Havelock to a campground for the night. As we climbed the hill over the town, we saw an overlook–and of course, had to stop. There was the other car ferry coming in, the Interislander.

We stayed to watch the Interislander back into her slip (quite a feat, in my opinion!) and unload. See both ferries, side by side?

Cars and trucks were coming off the top deck of the Interislander, and trains were being unloaded from the lower deck. That is a locomotive pushing two flat cars in; they hooked up to a string of eight freight cars and pulled them out, then went back in for more.