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The brochure description above was amended just before we made our final payment, to read: After a relaxing breakfast in Kaikoura it will be “all aboard” the Coastal Pacific Train, journeying all the way to the top of the South Island, Picton (instead of disembarking the train in Blenheim). Enjoy lunch as well as a complimentary glass of Marlborough wine on board, as you journey through the Marlborough region to the top of the South Island by train. In Picton, you will then board the Ferry for a leisurely afternoon sailing across the Cook Strait to Wellington, where you will be transferred to the Rydges Hotel in time for dinner.

It meant missing the Aviation Heritage Centre, but we’d visited the aviation museum in Mandeville, and the alternative of an afternoon sail sounded wonderful!

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But in New Zealand, everything is weather dependent, and today’s Māori word is ua … rain!

Overnight, the heavy rains that continue to fall this morning caused a major “slip” (rockslide) that took out a section of the railway near the Hundalees, the steep hills through which we drove yesterday.

So … no train, no lunch with wine, and a rainy crossing of the Cook Strait that was wet both above and below the ferry.

But… there’ll be a further rebate of the train fare and lunch cost from Pounamu Tours that we’ll find other ways to spend in New Zealand.

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There have been several fatalities in New Zealand in the past week due to landslides triggered by exceptionally heavy rain. A cancelled train is simply an inconvenience, not a tragedy.

Dry river beds that we passed yesterday had turned overnight into raging waterways. The levels today were not considered “in flood”, but were definitely running “high”. When the rain stops they’ll dry up very quickly again.

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At one point the road on which we were travelling not far outside Kaikōura was completely under water; doable for transport trucks and our coach, but not for low slung cars. 

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We grabbed some lovely crisps at our Seddon comfort stop.

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Ted also scored some sultana biscuits, which we no longer seem to be able to find in Canada.

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The Marlborough region is home to my favourite NZ Sauvignon Blanc wines.

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All these huge vineyards are harvested by RSEs (Registered Seasonal Employees) on short term visas from the Polynesian Islands. Motel-style accommodations have had to be built especially to house these workers, since the area did not have anywhere near enough housing for what over a 3-9 month working season can be tens of thousands of RSEs. 

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After goodbye hugs to our fabulous coach driver Steve, we had an hour to walk around the pretty little harbour town of Picton with its lovely waterfront and delightfully curated hospice op shop (charity shops being my kryptonite) before boarding the ferry.

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After all the wind and rain I was thrilled to see the sea conditions sign at the ferry terminal.

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Our almost 3-1/2  hour journey from the South to the North Island took the route below. Interestingly, the map’s labels are horizontal, making the islands seem west and east instead of north and south, which does represent the Cook Strait crossing.

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We learned that NZ is getting 2 new Chinese-built ferries. In British Columbia we’re on track to get 4, also from China (Canada’s shipyards are at full capacity) although a different builder.  I was curious about the similarities and differences,  so asked CoPilot to run a comparison based on my parameters.

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I learned that even though both are “ferries,” and both will be capable of carrying up to 1500 passengers, they’re solving completely different transport problems:

First of all, there’s the fact that New Zealand’s Interlander ferries are responsible for carrying heavy freight between the country’s two islands. NZ’s ferries are essentially ocean‑going freight ships that also carry people. They used to have rail capability (trains can drive right onto rails on the ship!), and will again when these new ones are delivered, which massively increases size and power requirements.

BC’s ferries are high‑frequency commuter and tourist vessels, optimized for efficiency, quiet operation, and short crossings. The new models will have the advantage of being hybrid‑electric, ready for future full electrification; the much larger engines needed for the rail-enabled NZ ferries currently precludes that option.

The current NZ ferries, since they are physically bigger than BC’s and the journey between the islands takes much longer than Vancouver to its island, have sit-down restaurants in addition to cafés and bars, a cinema running current movies, a large children’s play area, several comfortable smaller lounges – and on our sailing they offered a free magic show to keep kids entertained for 1/2 an hour.

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There was also live music in the bar! The performers’s lovely Joni Mitchell-esque voice called for a chilled glass of Marlborough’s sauvignon blanc while listening.

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Unfortunately, about an hour from Wellington, that sea conditions sign posted in the terminal in Picton proved to be completely inaccurate – my wine remained undrunk, and I ensconced myself in the ladies’ room, green and miserable beside the seasickness bag dispenser, for about 45 minutes.

Once we were safely in harbour, all was well again and my skin tone was no longer competing with Elphaba’s (the onboard cinema was, appropriately, showing “For Good”, the Wicked sequel.)

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Our overnight hotel was changed from the brochure-advertised Scenic Hotel Marlborough to the Rydges Hotel Wellington. That was a bonus for us, since it’s just steps from our next accommodation at Gilmer Apartments.

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We had a lovely last dinner with our tour group, said our goodbyes to our fellow travellers, and shared hugs and handshakes with our wonderful guides.

We arranged for an extra late check-out, so tomorrow we’ll skip breakfast and simply move on early afternoon to our Wellington extended stay apartment.

Final thoughts – and our continued adventures in New Zealand – to follow.