Boats 'n bikes

A grey but very mild start and looking like rain for our crossing of the Cook Strait and up early to ensure that we were at the ferry terminal in plenty of time for the 9am check-in.

We were indeed early and sat in the rain in the queue of cars and motorhomes for quite some time:

But eventually we got aboard, just behind all the lorries (trucks to some readers?) which meant that we'd be one of the first off. We settled down to enjoy the trip, though it didn't look as though we'd see too much at first:

But there were some bright patches and no end of rainbows:

And inside things were looking up as well once we'd got our first coffees of the morning:

And off we steamed, predominantly east at about 40kph according to the GPS. A mercifully calm crossing as Barbara is not the best of sailors. Bye-bye South Island:

Coming into Wellington we passed a sister ship lying at anchor, so although it wasn't quite the same as ours, it seemed like a good idea to photograph it as an example of the sort of thing we were on:

The first thing we noticed on coming ashore on the North Island, apart from the strong winds, was how mild it was, even warmer than Picton. After a short and straightforward drive, we found Margaret & Ashley's lovely place in Pukerua Bay where they were flying a Union Jack in our honour:

A neighbour kindly allowed us to park the motorhome in their drive; one of the few flat areas around here, and as it was quite windy, it seemed like a good test of the flagpole:

While Barbara and Margaret went out to visit an old family friend, Ashley and I talked motorbikes and I got to see his beautiful 1914 500cc Humber, amongst other old BSAs and an MG:

It looks really complicated to ride, with multiple levers on both handlebars, as well as the hand gear-change and oiler to worry about. You can also see in this view, the air-horn and acetylene lamp:

And that's about it for today, apart from the view from inside the motorhome out across Pukerua Bay. It would be even better if it was sunny, but even on a grey day like today, with fading afternoon light, it still looked pretty good:

written by  Saros on May 15, 2009 from Pukerua Bay, New Zealand
from the travel blog: The Hairy Animal 2009 World Road Trip
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