Land Ho!

Last night’s dream: I had gotten a traffic ticket, unjustly. In rebellion, to make a political statement, I didn’t pay it. In consequence, I was required by law to report to the police station to spend a weekend in jail. Adi and Bari were with me and for them, as social activists, a few days in jail was nothing new. But it was to me. Suddenly I longed for my freedom, but it was too late. I woke up just before they stripped me of my clothes and my possessions, even my chapstick. “But I can’t live without chapstick,” I cried. “You should have thought of that before,” the tough cop barked.

Whenever Syd and I ask people local for directions, they say confidently, “You can’t miss it,” which we promptly proceed to do. This morning, however, we did manage to find the InterIslander ferry in downtown Wellington without a hitch, even in the 6:00 a.m. dark and driving rain.

On board were a Jamaican acoustic guitarist and a decent little bluegrass/Irish/vintage rock band from Australia.

Sports–bike racing, golf and rugby–blared from overhead TVs while sleeping bodies draped across chairs and curled in little balls on the floor. After an hour or so the seas got very rough because we’re in the middle of a storm, so I put away my iPad, closed my eyes and sucked ice chips. The water calmed after an hour, so I was fine.

I hear that this is a beautiful passage, but because of the weather was only blurred shades of grey.

We’ve entered country much more mountainous than in the North Island and I’m starting to see sights that we don’t have in the U.S. Off in the distance I can see snowy mountains which we’re headed toward after lunch. We’ve stopped in the Marlborough wine country for lunch at a place Syd found on the map: Wairau River Wines. I’m waiting for my blue cheese souffle. Syd asked if I’d mind if she had a glass of wine with lunch. I said I yes, I did mind. She wants to continue doing the driving today, and considering the weather and our extreme disorientation in brand-new terrain, the idea made me nervous. I’m an old fuddy duddy.

. . .

Two more hours of driving awaited us following lunch. We passed a beautiful river, the Pelorus, that Peter Jackson used as a set for The Hobbit.

Film is a big deal here. Lots of movies use New Zealand as their setting, and the most famous of these are The Lord of the Rings movies.

We arrived at tonight’s hostel, the Almond House in Nelson, at about 4:30. It’s an okay place: not very homey (or homely, as they say here) but it’ll do. I immediately set to washing underwear as Syd located a hike she wanted to take, to the center of New Zealand, a couple miles from here. I donned hiking boots and started to walk with her, but it was nearly dark and, once again, I got nervous, so I came back, but she continued and is still gone.

Its being winter is really putting a damper on our outdoor activities. The Abel Tasman track is nearby and we may hike some of it tomorrow, but at this time of year it’s hard to find a water taxi from Nelson to take you to the trailhead. Tonight we’ll do some research and see if we can turn over a possibility. Problem is, some of these hikes are over 20 kilometers, not too much for Syd but I’m not strong enough. It’s a frustration.

I’m really glad we’ve descended on the South Island at last. We spent a week up north and now we have almost three remaining for down here. Snow and washed-out roads will thwart us, but we should be able to get at least a sense of the wild beauty of the place, even if we can’t get deep into it.

I’m sorry I’m boring.