Monday, November 18th - Day 70 - Mail Boat Tour of Queen Charlotte Sound
The weather was absolutely perfect today - sunny, cloudless sky, and temps in the high 60s and low 70s. We had been considering doing the mail boat tour of Queen Charlotte Sound, having enjoyed our time with Postie Jeff in Akaroa so much earlier in the month, and the good weather clinched it!
The view over Picton this morning from our step En route to the mail boat tour - waterfront Picton
We set off on the 2-minute drive to downtown Picton. We drove mainly because we needed to pick up some dinner items en route back, and the walk up the hill to our place would be difficult even without carrying stuff!
We had lunch - delicious seafood chowder - at a cafe, enjoying the sidewalk table and the sun.
The skipper was a lifelong boater on the sound - he started working on a fishing boat at the age of 15! His wife's family owns a 'bach' on one of the bays we visited (one of the more populous ones). His commentary was interesting - he discussed the invasion of pines in the area that had been imported and adapted really well to the area. Unfortunately, their success killed all the native vegetation, so they're trying to eradicate them now with poison. The steep and remote terrains make access very difficult, so they've taken now to spraying them from helicopters - VERY expensive.
After sailing out of Picton harbour we turned the corner and almost immediately the road ended at a huge marina (he said there were about 600 yachts there) - the rest of our 4-hour tour was visiting places that were inaccessible by road.
There were a couple of resorts that we stopped at - and at one of them we dropped a couple off and collected about 20 more people, and picked up another 6 or 8 at a second resort. Clearly, the tour company is very entrepreneurial - in addition to their contract with New Zealand Post for mail delivery, he also delivered a bag (he didn't know what was in it!) to a guy at the "Bay of Many Coves" (very aptly named!).
Our skipper regaled us with a tale of James Cook, who on his 3rd visit to New Zealand put up in one of the coves to repair his ship. Over the 9 months they were there, some of his crew developed relationships with local Maori women. When the time came to resume their voyage, Cook went around to round up his crew. Unfortunately, all he found were their remains - apparently, the Maori guys didn't take kindly to their presence and had, as he put it, a "midnight feast". The skipper claims that the same fate awaited Cook himself when he visited Hawai'i later on that voyage (though this is disputed!),
Skipper (who didn't introduce himself, or if he did, I didn't catch it) was extremely adept at throwing the large boat around during the delivery stops. It was amazing to watch his skill in maneuvering the ship to facilitate the handoffs. We were met at every stop except one, where he picked up a sack that was strapped to a post on the pier, and left one in its place.
In all, it was a wonderful afternoon. Skipper was no Jeff - and he actually barked at a couple young girls who had apparently hit the left-hand side controls while standing in the cockpit area. They moved pretty quickly! But his commentary was interesting. We did, however, find it difficult to hear everything he said - both as a result of the less-than-perfect sound system and his accent. But we learned a lot about the Sound. And being out on the water, with boats and ferries passing by, was a real treat. Some tours spot dolphins, but unfortunately, we didn't. Here are some views from the boat's upper deck and below behind the skipper.
When we got home we sat outside for a bit to relish the day.
Fresh fish for dinner - with leftover rice and some lovely NZ spinach. We ate in front of MKR (Season 12) - watched two full episodes and now we are getting to know the cast of participants pretty well for that season. A good way to end up a great day down under.