MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS

A few... okay, many weekends ago I got the chance to do a bit of travel on my own. So, I packed a bag and hopped on a train down to Wellington. Friday was great just wandering around Wellington at my own pace. The youth hostel needed a paint job, but it had the comfiest beds ever... and let's be honest, they're much cheaper than hotels for a reason. 

Rise and Shine!

Saturday, I got up bright and early and boarded the Bluebridge ferry to Picton. Not that there is anything super exciting about Picton, but to get there one must travel through the Marlborough Sounds and I since I'm still not sure what I'm going to do in my last two weeks, if I'm going to go to the South Island or not, I thought it would be nice to at least say that I'd seen some of the South Island - even if it was just Picton. 

Jellyfish!

If you're ever planning on traveling by ferry, everyone will be fixated with advice about how you can avoid motion sickness... but honestly, my advice is, unless you have really short hair, bring a hat... for 2 reasons. One: on the way to Picton, it was a bit windy, which resulted in my hair feeling like it had been backcombed even though I had put it up. Two: on the way from Picton, I sat at the balcony/seating area at the back of the boat which in my opinion were the best seats in the house, but which also happened to be in direct sunlight and sunglasses were not quite adequate. 

But all minor frustrations aside, this was an absolutely amazing experience. On the way back, I even saw dolphins and the albatross were diving into the water around them. It was spectacular. Unfortunately, cameras aren't always the greatest at capturing these things, so you'll have to take my word for it. The Marlborough Sounds are amazingly beautiful and so. worth. seeing. 

Picton from the ferry

Cheers!