I had a lazy breakfast enjoying the peace and quiet of Anakiwa, and set off about 10 o'clock. The first part of the ride continued along the Marlborough Sounds, with quite a lot of ups over the headlands with nice views, and down to the bays, but nothing too strenuous over the 12 miles to Picton.
Picton is where the ferry to the North Island leaves from, but is quite a small pleasant town. I had a snack and was about to leave when the ferry arrived. Since the guide book says the road I was to take is busier for an hour after the ferry arrives, I decided to hang around a little more. There's a preserved 19th century sailing ship and museum here, so I decided to look that over. Only the hull and lower deck of the Edwin Fox remains, bit you can walk all over it on the original timbers so you get a good feel for the shape and construction.
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| Edwin Fox, Picton |
The road from Picton to Blenheim was flat, alongside a railway, and not particularly interesting, and there were rather too many trucks, but the wind was behind me (!), so the 17 miles passed quickly. Coming into Blenheim, with a Macdonalds, Subway, and ugly garish signs, was a culture shock after 3 weeks of beautiful isolation and tiny towns. I stopped for lunch in the down town area, which was fine, but was happy to leave.
After Blenheim, the road got quieter - the trucks seem to go off to the west coast there - and the scenery steadily wilder. There was one, quite long hill, rising into the moorish countryside. With the wind still behind me and many long, smooth downhills the cycling was exhilarating, and the 35 miles went flying by.
There aren't many options for places to stay in this stretch, so I'm at the Pedallers' Rest advertised in the Pedellars' Paradise cycle guide. The accommodation is comfortable but pretty basic (and cheap, about US $10), with 2 and 4 bunk shared rooms. There's only one other person here tonight, and he's camping, so I'll be on my own in the room. There's a kitchen, and I bought a lamb chop, potatoes, and fresh picked zucchini from Jim who runs the hostel, and had a fine dinner chatting with Robin, a retired man from England on a longer slower cycle tour.
The day had started fine with high clouds. Gradually the clouds got lower and heavier, and it was beginning to rain as I arrived at the Pedallers' Rest. Now it's raining steadily, and the forecast for tomorrow is not good (again).
