Martinborough Day 181 18/03/2015

The sky was blue when we woke but it was still chilly and we waited for the sun to appear on the van before having breakfast. We'd booked the 1.15pm ferry back to Wellington so had a few hours to spend before heading off to the port. Simon decided to get his hair cut and we found a local barbers who gave him a good shearing, which will hopefully last for the next few months! We had time for coffee on the harbour front before heading to the port and checking in for the ferry. We waited in line with what seemed like hundreds of other campervans and motorhomes, finally boarding just after 1pm. We set sail around 1.45pm with relatively calm seas as we sailed through Marlborough Sound. There was then an announcement over the tannoy that there were unfavourable conditions out to sea, a notoriously bad stretch of water as you sail through Cook Strait. The outside deck was closed and everyone was asked to sit down. Staff handed out ice cubes and sick bags. The ferry pitched in 45 knot winds with a 4m swell, the sea splashing up on the window of the 8th floor lounge. Despite the crews best endeavours to move people who got sea sick to the stern of the ferry, a number stayed on the bow and were subsequently ill. We eventually turned into Wellington Harbour and calmer seas. Once docked we headed down to the car deck to find our van and the van in front had collided, the driver of the other vehicle accusing Diane of not putting the hand brake on! His vehicle was OK but ours had a couple of dints and scraps on the bonnet. We had to wait for the duty officer to fill in an accident form before finally disembarking. We planned to head to Martinborough which is just over an hour north east of Wellington. It was gone 7pm by the time we arrived and the local supermarket had shut. Luckily the guy at the campsite told us about pizza Wednesday at the Martinborough Hotel and so we headed there and enjoyed delicious pizza for $10 each washed down with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir from the local Margrain winery.

Leaving Picton Harbour 

Passing the ferry from Wellington

Approaching Wellington Harbour 

The collided vans 

The Martinborough Hotel