Wildlife in Wellington to Picturesque Picton, New Zealand

Our next week began with another scenic drive through the mountains and along the coast as we headed down to Wellington. There were few towns to see with our journey consisting of lots of grassland and grazing cows as we rested our aching legs from the long 20km hike we had just completed. On the way we stopped at the beach to eat our packed sandwiches not realising how gorgeously sunny it was. We were all pretty burnt from our hike and enjoyed the sun for as long as we could bare, particularly Jason who looked hilarious in a black hoodie to cover his red ears and hands whilst everyone else on the beach was sunbathing. We cruised into a sunny Wellington and got to our hill top accommodation with the most spectacular views of the bay. Luckily for us the weather was perfect too so we had a clear view of the amazing surrounding hills and sea. Josh's parents had certainly made some very beautiful accommodation choices!

Our first trip was a 4x4 Seal Spotting Safari through some very rugged terrain that was only 10km out of the city centre. This is the kind of country where you could live in the wilderness and commute to work in the city in just 20 minutes!  He took us through the countryside to the most remote looking hill tops that were being battered by the strong winds but still had people living and working there. After giving a very friendly deer a pat, and a cheeky muffin, it was time to head down to the coast. We tumbled around in the 4x4 swerving around on the rocky beach whilst our guide Kent told us a lot about the area, local people and of course the seals! We got to see them relaxing on the bay and playing in the sea which was magical. The New Zealand Fur Seal looks very similar to a Sea Lion with their defined ear flaps and hind flippers that help them to climb the rocky coast which we got to watch from the car. How could the day get any better!

Our next trip to Zealandia definitely added to the fun. This is an ecological park and protected area for native birds which has a specially designed predator proof fence around the outside. The birds who can fly like Saddlebacks, Tui, Kakariki and Kakas are free to roam wherever they like but most stay in the safety of the park enjoying the vast forest. There are flightless birds which need the most protection in NZ due to non native introduced species like stoats, possums and cats which hunt them or damage their eggs. Interestingly the land mass of NZ separated so long ago that it was just birds that lived here, with the only mammal being a bat until settlers brought others with them that the birds had no defences against. The Kiwi and Takahe are being cared for here along with the help of an unexpected friend, the Tuatara which is a prehistoric lizard that eats the mice that try to steal the bird's eggs. We learnt all this fascinating information from a wonderful volunteer guide who was studying at the University. It was such a fantastic day out seeing these weird and wonderful birds and appreciating the uniqueness of New Zealand wildlife. 

On our last morning in Wellington we explored a local beach where blue penguins live at night and found some gorgeous shells. This was before our ferry journey over to the South Island through the stunning Marlborough Sounds. We drove onto the ferry and settled ourselves on the open top deck ready for the gorgeous views, forgetting that we had a bit of open sea to contend with. It was unbelievably windy, at first all of our clothes, hair and belongings were flying upwards in the most comical way and we couldn't hear a thing. I think almost all of us took a little snooze in the sun at this point out of the worst of the wind. The gale died down eventually when we got into the more sheltered sounds and we dared to get our cameras back out with less fear of them flying out of our hands. The sun was shining as we sailed through the stunning landscape and we set our eyes on Picton. It didn't take long for everyone to fall in love with this quaint little place that has everything you could want! 

When the sun shines in New Zealand everything glistens and it makes this country seem even more inviting. Picton was no exception particularly as we had such a lovely apartment overlooking the harbour. The town is small but big enough to have some lovely bars and restaurants as well as some amazing walks, with lots of doggies! One morning we dragged Jason away from the Whale Museum he loved so much and wandered over to the next port through some gorgeous woodland. We sat ourselves next to the harbour gazing at the boats when we saw a huge shape gliding through the water. It was a giant stingray that we later learnt are a common sight in these parts, occasionally drawing their predators the killer whale close to the shore. On that amazing note we had to make our way back to Picton and go on our second wine tasting tour. 

We all loved the last wine tasting tour so there were high expectations for this trip to one of the best wine regions in the world. It was a beautifully sunny day as we were picked up in Picton to be shuttled over to the equally as lovely Marlborough wine region. We sampled some of the best Sauvignon Blanc I've ever had as well as some gorgeous sparkling, rich reds and Pino Gris. Our favourites were Allan Scott and Spy Valley which had the nicest atmosphere and the most delicious wine. Interestingly Spy Valley was so named because of the government spy satellite stationed nearby and on each bottle they have a different word in Morse code. At the end we even got a quick stop in a local chocolate factory where they let us try some very fresh chocolates! On our last day in this area we travelled over to Havelock which is meant to be one of the most stunning scenic drives in the south island. We'd call out "scenic stop" to our trusty tour guide/driver (Josh's dad) so we could pull over to take in the view but this was happening so often it took about 2 hours to travel 30km. We finished the day with a much sweatier walk than we anticipated overlooking a beautiful bay with brilliant blue water. The end to our second week had left us all thoroughly in love with New Zealand with some wonderful memories and excitement for our next adventures in the South Island.