Goodbye South Island

Today, at 9am l boarded the inter island ferry bound for Wellington. The trip lasts approx 3.5 hours and is most probably one of the most beautiful journeys in the world. The large boat slips silently away from Picton and up Charlotte Sound making hardly a ripple on the perfect, calm sea. We sailed past old homesteads that can only be reached by sea, past mussel farms and the odd seal lolling about on its back taking in the summer sun and burst out into the Cook Strait which separates the two islands.

The mist came down in the strait and the fog horn sounded. The fog remained until we were within a mile of the entrance to Wellington harbour; it lifted and the sun was once again glistening on the water and Wellington was there with its wooden houses built all over the surrounding hills. I lived here for 4 years, a lovely city and it is nice to be back.