Picton

May 13,14

I didn’t spend much time in Wellington at all. I decided that I didn’t feel much like big city and wanted nature instead. I got myself the most convenient ferry ticket, walked around the harbourfront for a bit and headed to the South Island. I’m glad I did. Picton is a small town made even smaller by the fact that it’s the off season and not so many tourists around. It was quiet. The streets were empty. I stayed at the Americano Motel. Very nice people. It was still done up in old 70s décor but very clean and well kept. Plus 70s is retro now. Since kayaking here was again a no go I decided to go on a full day hike on the Queen Charlotte Trail.
Theoretically it’s a 5 day hike along the shores of the Queen Charlotte Sound but not for me…this time around. The mailboat takes you out to the starting point and then picks you up later in the afternoon while it’s doing its mail deliveries which was very fun. The owners of the lodges or backpacker places spattered along the trail come to the end of their dock and exchange mail bags and pleasantries and the dogs that tagged along get biscuits too. Very cute.

The area is beautiful. The hike was beautiful. While boating through the sound the scenery reminded of northern British Columbia. But once on land and hiking through the bush it is quite different.
The vegetation is much different with still many palms and tree ferns. The first 40 minutes were a little difficult with a steep slope and my not so great fitness level. But then it evened out a bit and I got used to the pace that I set and it was a glorious day.
The weather was perfect and the vistas and views were stunning. And I stopped frequently to investigate and take pictures. I only met four other people on the trail; a couple mountain biking and two guys from the US doing a 2 day hiking adventure. It was a beautiful day. It would be nice to come back some time and do the whole trail and stay at Fourneaux Lodge the first night because it looked pretty cozy.