A Full Nelson Day. Wellington to Picton

The ferry from Wellington to Picton and the gateway to the south took 3 hours. The sea was calm even though the wind was extreme. To arrive at Picton the ferry had to go through what I would call an estuary but in New Zealand they call sounds. The sights were stunning. The blue sky then green hills met the blue water with an amazing reflection. As usual the photos are good but don’t get anywhere near the real thing.

Myself and Richard rode to the campsite which was a short distance away along a road called The Queen Charlotte Drive. The campsite was a D.O.C $6 one called Aussie Bay. Cheap and cheerful but perfectly fine for what is pretty much £3. We were camped right by the waters edge so had chance to take a dip before dinner.

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The next morning we set off really early and made 20 miles before breakfast which we stopped and had in the picturesque village of Havelock. The road was very flat right up to 15kms from our hosts house in Nelson and then we reached an amazing downhill of 6kms which was the icing on the cake of a great first full day in the south. We set out really late from Nelson after our host Wayne said to leave when we want to and because we only had a short ride to our next host in Riwaka. We planned on cycling the Great Taste Trail past the winery and fruit farms directly into Riwaka but it had recently been closed off so we had a pretty uneventful road to travel. We did however met up with a girl cyclist from Japan called Hatsumi who was heading to Riwaka to stay with the same host.

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The host was called Daniel. He lived in a small house but perfect for us to chill in. He made a superb roast chicken dinner with wedges and green bean salad. Warmshowers has been the best part of my travels as I have met and stayed with really kind and generous people every time. We head now for 2 nights with a host in the Able Tasman National Park with its stunning beaches, amazing waterfalls and natural springs.