We got up at 5am so we could make our 7:15am check-in at the ferry terminal for our early morning boat trip down to Picton, our port on the south Island. The previous week the ferry company had to take a ferry boat out of service after the shaft sheared. We checked with the ferry company to make sure we still had reservations and confirmed that the boat was going to be full. With this in mind, we upgraded to a separate lounge on the boat, which provided a quieter oasis and a cooked buffet breakfast. We shared a a table with a couple from Toronto. They were spending 32 days in NZL after seeing Australia and before stopping in Japan on their way back. The ferry was a bit late leaving Wellington as another boat left at 0800 (the schedule is fluid after losing that ferry boat). Since the terminal in Picton could handle only one boat at a time, our captain decided to delay our departure so we could let the first boat finish unloading before we arrived. The crossing was uneventful and we saw some wonderful scenery as we ducked into the Marlborough Sounds just outside of Picton. We drove off the ferry at 1240 (about 45 min later than scheduled), so we continued on directly to Hokitika. The drive through the Buller Gorge was stunning and we plan to return while we're staying in Blenheim to visit the ghost town at Lyell and the longest swingbridge in NZ.
