Day 57 – Westport – 10 November 2017

It was an early start to get on the 9am ferry from Wellington to Picton and a long day ahead of us to get to Westport from Picton. We were in the ferry queue by 7:30am and on the boat and seated on the lookout deck by 8:30am. The ferry trip is very popular, not only because it is probably the best way to get between the two islands, but also because of the amazing views along the 3.5hr trip. I was kind of dreading the trip and worried about seasickness but in the end it passed quickly, painlessly and most importantly seasickless! We took turns taking pictures but as it was a fairly cloudy and cold day we soon got bored with popping outside all the time!

Disembarking was quick as well and we were soon on our way through vineyards and green mountains to Westport – with roadworks around every corner! It really slowed us down and probably added a good 1.5hrs to the trip. We stopped at Lake Rotoroa for a break and to take pictures of the first of many lakes we were about to see in the South Island.

Westport is another sleepy kind of town and it was freezing and windy when we got there, so we just took a walk to the Denniston Dog for something to eat and drink and a couple of drinks at The Quarry near our hotel (Westport Spa Motel – very good & very friendly) before going back to our warm room!