November 24 - New Zealand: Wellington (North Island) to Nelson (South Island)

We woke up bright and early to find that the rain had stopped.  It was still cloudy and damp, but at least the sea would be less rough for our ferry ride.  The ferry was scheduled to leave at 8:00 but we had to check in at 7:00 so had to leave at 6:30 to make sure we got there in time.  We packed up our stuff and went to the kitchen to make breakfast - veggie omelets.

The Lynx (www.thelynx.co.nz)

At 6:30 we made our way to the ferry with plenty of time to spare.  I have to take this moment to voice my dissatisfaction with this ferry service.  For whatever reason, the government of New Zealand has allowed this company to maintain a monopoly on the ferry service between the North Island and the South Island.  This ferry is literally the ONLY way to get from one island to the other without flying.  So - if you have a car that you want to transport - you're a captive customer.

Not only does this company charge EXORBITANT rates for the ferry, but their customer service is pathetic.  When we were here yesterday, they didn't even have someone manning the office between ferries.  The kind police officer Jon spoke to yesterday said that they get at least 30 people/day in the police station asking ferry questions.  And the "marshalls" we dealt with this morning as we waited to drive aboard were incredibly rude and uninformative.  But the ferry company has no incentive to improve customer service.  Why would they?  People are willing to pay up the wazoo whether they have good service or not.

Why would any government allow this?  It's not even as convoluted a definition of monopoly as the Microsoft case.  This is blatant monopolization.  What this needs is a good, healthy does of competition to improve the service.  I can't get over how ridiculous this is.

So we waited in the queue to drive aboard the ferry, where we were routed up some driveways to the top level.  There, we parked the car and went into the "people lounge".  Once all the cars were parked, no one was allowed in the car park again until we docked in Picton.  The passenger area was actually quite nice and the chairs were very comfortable.  We  read through the NZ guide and planned some of our stops in the South Island, while also snapping photos of the beautiful scenery outside the boat.

The ride took two and a half hours, and although it was a little rough we didn't have any problems.  When it was time to dock, they opened up the doors to the car park and everyone went down to get in their cars to disembark.  Since we were on the top level, we would be in the last group to leave.  But it was interesting to see how it worked.  When they had unloaded most of the other cars, the "racks" of the ship raised and lowered so we had a direct shot out to the road without having to reverse or anything.  It's difficult to describe, but I was pretty impressed with it, despite my discontent with the company. 

Scenic Drive to Nelson

The sun had come out, and we looked forward to the two hour drive to Nelson.  We stopped at a gas station to get directions, and the attendant told us how to get there via the scenic route.  And scenic it was!  The road twisted and turned along the side of various cliffs and mountains, and had some stunning views of the bay below.  Between the unexpectedly gorgeous weather, the great mix on our MP3 players, and the beautiful drive, I was having a great time!

Jon snoozed for a little bit, although I have no idea how with all the twists and turns.  But he seemed fine with it.  The funny thing about NZ is that the average speed limit on the throughways is 100 kph.  This is about 63 mph for those of us Americans.  This actually was the speed limit posted on the twisting, winding roads.  How crazy is that?

Nelson

Nelson is an artsy town in the north of South Island.  The town itself is right on the water and is very cute.  We stopped at a place for bagels but ended up a the bakery across the street for bread and plain bagels.  Then we went to the grocery store for more veggies, cream cheese, and some hamburger meat.  The campsite we chose is called the Brook Valley Motor Camp and is about 5 km outside of town.  We checked in and set up our tent.  While we were putting up the tent, we noticed two ducks wandering around the campground.  When we sat at the picnic table to have our bagels and cream cheese, the ducks walked right up to us and blatantly begged for food.  So nutty!  They were relentless.  Even when we were done and packing things away, the wandered around the tent and the car expecting handouts.  And their quacks were so loud!  I guess this is what they're used to, though.

After we rearranged the car and put all food out of the duck's reach, we went back into town to look around.  There were banners for an "A&P Show" at Richmond Park, and we decided to check it out.  

Richmond A&P Fair

Richmond was about 10 km south of Nelson, and the drive was right along the water so it was lovely.  We had no problems finding Richmond Park, and we found a spot to park right away.  We walked inside the park and were stopped by a nice older man who was marshalling traffic and collecting parking and admission fees.  He joked with us about the fee being reduced from $7 to $5 "just for us", but after he realized we were visiting from the States he shooed us in without accepting an admission fee.  

So the A&P Fair was not the crafts show I thought is would be.  It was really a big carnival/farm show.  They had rides, a ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, game booths, and arts and crafts tables.  They had a farm tent!  There were lambs, cows, pigs, ducks, even a baby pony!  It was classic.  

Our Belated Thanksgiving Turkey

After the farm tent, we found our way out onto the fairgrounds again.  There was a sheepdog competition going on.  About 20 people were watching a sheepdog steer three sheep around the field through certain obstacles.  It was like something out of "Babe", only without the pig.

What a great day!  We left Richmond Park at about 5:00 and went to a place called the "Craft Habitat".  This is a center with a few different craft shops, including pottery, wood-working (www.keenaputt.com), lead and glass, wool, and painting shops.  The artists work in their shops as well as sell their goods there.  Only about half the stores were open, but we enjoyed talking to the different artists about their crafts.  I loved the pottery shop, it was amazing!

Then we went back to the campsite to make dinner - hamburgers and potatoes.  The weather was getting much colder, so we hung out in the lounge area instead of going back to the tent and freezing there.  "Speed" was on the television and we sat and watched it until late.