It was fitting that we spent our last day on South Island at Nelson. We wandered around the leafy streets of this lovely city for the last time and visited the Art Deco Christ Church Cathedral. The second Cathedral to by built on the site, the foundation stone was laid in 1925 and construction got under way but was delayed for many years as everyone who had a finger in the pie argued whether it should be completed to its original design or not. It was finally finished in 1965 and consecrated in 1972. Constructed from black marble mined at Takaka it is a very striking building with lovely stained-glass windows that reflect local themes of bountiful land and sea as well as more traditional themes in a contemporary style.
That evening, we returned to our favourite restaurant where we got to sizzle our chosen fare on a chunk of hot volcanic rock. This is a great novelty and a lot of fun as long as you remember the advice not to sprinkle pepper on the rock. They should also add vinegar to the list of hazards ...
The ferry from Picton to Wellington sails through the glorious Marlborough Sounds before sailing out into open water across the Cook Straight. The three flooded valleys which make up the Marlborough Sounds are the Queen Charlotte, Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds. A Maori legend tells the story of the creation of these sounds. Kupe, a legendary Maori voyager, while wrestling with a giant octopus, grasped the South Island for support and his fingers dug deep inside the soil, carving out the waterways. A pod of dolphins swam around the boat in the bright blue water as we left Picton and gradually South Island faded into the distance. It was not the millpond crossing that I was hoping for after my performance at Kaikoura, but it was sufficiently calm for me not to spill my tea and write some postcards, albeit in very big and wonky writing.
And so we arrived at Wellington - a magnificent sight with buildings terraced up the steep wooded hills behind the crescent of the harbour. Seat of New Zealand government and a wind that can take you by surprise, this is also home to family Breese. There's dad Edryd (Ed), Alun and Ceri's youngest son, his lovely wife Jo, Gwilym the eldest son and Geraint the youngest and Pipi the 3 year old city-slicker sheep dog.
They describe themselves as the average New Zealand family. Gwilym describes himself as follows "I am currently at Uni, studying a range of Social Sciences when I'm not strumming my guitar or earning a crust (beer money). I can be found loitering in houses of ill-repute (bars of varying quality) across Wellington enjoying a quiet libation or three". Geraint, who refuses to describe himself is just 16 and mad keen on sport - downhill mountain biking, skiing, waterpolo, surfing and rugby. He has asked Marc to go surfing several times but Marc's range of excuses is unlimited. Ed is a short and very quiet man and is in awe of us international travellers and continually begs us to tell him about our adventures to date. He loves to hear Marc's stories about the Talybont Tigers or as Marc affectionately calls his team mates the Talybont Telly Tubbies. Jo the mum is a very warm and friendly person who has had made us feel very welcome. The family have a great love of travel, friends and food (including wine) and have attempted to share that with us.
We arrived in Wellington at 5.00pm on a Thursday, on the eve of a public holiday (ANZAC Day). We were immediatly being driven North by the Breese family excluding Gwilym and Pipi to spend the holiday week at Turangi at the western end of Lake Taupo. We had been warned that it may be slow trip but we didn't realise how slow, the first 80km took us nearly 2 hours and a kebab. Apparently this is common on holiday weekends (the traffic jam not the kebab).
Up at 5.30am on ANZAC day, not for the dawn service (which may Kiwis and Ozzies attend to remember the dead from the ill fated Gallipoli Expedition but also the emergence of nationhood for New Zealand and Australia) - our objective was the Tongariro Crossing.
Grateful thanks to Ed who hijacked the computer and wrote the last few paragraphs (I'd never call them average). Spot the join ...
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