On Wednesday 7th January I packed up all my things and left Wellington, with a rabies jab still fresh in my arm and far too much luggage. I set sail on the BlueBridge Ferry to Picton in the Marlborough Sounds, just as the cloud was starting to clear and the sun appear. I watched with sadness as the familiar sights of my home faded in to the distance. The crossing was smooth and uneventful - there were no sightings of any wildlife on this occasion. The Sounds were beautiful as always but the cloud was starting to build again and so the colours were not as bright as my previous crossings. The journey was spent outside on deck talking to a pair of animate Americans and then a lady from Christchurch and her husband returning from their Christmas break with family on the North Island.
The night was spent at the now ex-YHA, Wedgewood House, in Picton. I couldn't help but wonder why it had been erased from the YHA collection. Perhaps it was a bit old and tired. I had one roommate - a girl from Utah, walking the Te Araroa. I've never seen such hairy legs and armpits on a girl, but after she had gone through her whole pack with me and explained that she was only carrying 5kg in weight, excluding food, I could see that even a razor has no place on her journey. I looked at my own bags in shame and have vowed to lighten my load at the first opportunity. It was a quiet and comfortable enough night and allowed me a good 10 hours sleep!
