Ferry up to North Island

Picton Harbor seen from Ferry Terminal, South Island

This morning's breakfast was treats bought last evening during our brief tour of Kaikoura. Instead of the standard drip coffee maker, our room had a French Press. That means there was great coffee to enjoy with tasty breakfast pastries.


Side story here... we are always on the hunt for interesting bead shops (Ila's thing) and yarn shops. So today we passed a store on the highway, and we both shouted, 'Heritage Beads'! 

So we took a U-Turn. But when we got to the store... Bread? WTF?! Laughed our heads off, because obviously one sees what one wants to see.



After breakfast we had a 2 hour drive to Picton, to catch a ferry to the North Island. It was a good thing we gave ourselves plenty of leeway on timing. That is because after parking the rental car, we had to lug our baggage to the ferry's rental car return office, an office largely unhindered by any personnel whatsoever. The rental car keys had to be dropped in a slot on the rental office door. That
could have been a huge problem as I remembered I'd left an item way the hell back at the rental car, so had we dropped off the key before I'd remembered what I left behind, it would have been 'Bye bye trinkets!'

The Ferry Building returned us to a state of happiness. We were able to check in our luggage - no charge - so as to not need to drag our bags around on the ferry ride. Huzzah! As we arrived quite early, we seated ourselves upstairs in the terminal. There we enjoyed Lemon Ginger Honey Tea while I began to catch up on my journal entries. Occasionally I glanced out the window to see gulls and such flying by.... then I noticed one bird that dove headfirst into the harbor. I was up and on the balcony, spit spot! There were birdies out there!

My photo: Austrailasian Gannet

The diving bird was an Austrailasian Gannet. My hastily taken photo at right is crap, but diagnostic: large blue bill, yellow head, white body & trailing black wing feathers. See 'professional birdie photo below:

Professional Gannet

Only then did I notice a host of cormorant like birds, out in the  harbor, atop a floating pier. OMG! They were Spotted Shags, and were so exotic looking I was mesmerized. 'Shag' is the British name for Cormorants. Was thrilled to get in so much birding with so little effort.

Spotted Shags - new birds for my world list (yippy skippy!) The gulls
to the right are Southern Black-backed Gulls (another world list lifer)

At long last the passengers were allowed to board the newly arrived Ferry. I thought there were about umpteen too many stair cases to go climb to get where we needed to be.


On board we bought hefty lunches in the Ferry cafeteria, then trotted up one side & down the other side of the boat, looking for the lounge. After false starts we found the spot - where loads of passengers were comfy in lounging chairs.

Snooze city, even with a lovely game of soccer on the Telly

The most exciting bit of the voyage - other than the decidedly rough seas, was that I had a glimpse of a spectacular albatross sailing low over the rough waters. Alas! Far too many species out there, and far too poor a viewing to hazard an ID.

At the ferry ride's end, we had to hustle, to get to get the ferry port's car rental desk before 1800 hours to pick up the next rental car. We just made it.

COMING RIGHT AT 'CHA!

The rental car was 'generously' upgraded to a silver SUV Highlander, a boat SUV the approximate size of the Titanic.

After successfully driving us to the Ibis hotel, I was told there was no more hotel parking, but that just outside - and here, the clerk pointed out the glass front across the street - was a free parking space.

I raced outside and parked the car. Let me rephrase that - I parallel parked a barge from the right side of the car, on the busy Auckland business street. Not to brag, but I managed a perfect 77 point parking maneuver (oh shut up, you couldn't have done better!) and I was not issued a medal and a trophy cup for my efforts. Life can be so unfair.

Ila had the lovely duck breast 

All comfy in our swank-ish hotel room (it was not quite the penthouse standards we hoped to grow familiar with) & settled in we decided to have dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.

Ila chose the duck breast with veggies.

This delicious dish deserves a better name than 'Pork Belly'

I - who by the way, love duck any way I can get them - went for something different:

'Pork Belly', slow braised with saffron and apple puree, torched with pomme battonet, persimmon two ways, crackling crunch & pork trotter jus.

The above description means, 'Yummy pork with nifty sauces and stuff'

Thus endith the day. And may I add, there is never quite enough of the yummy sauces!