Picton By Train

Trip Start Nov 03, 2007
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Trip End Dec 07, 2007


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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Up very early to get the train for Picton at 7am. Very misty start but turned into a very hot and beautiful day! Lovely coastline around Kaikoura, we stood out on the viewing car for a while and then return in for a cuppa and a warm. 5 hrs and 30 mins to go 347 klms - why?  You realise why as you wave to the lorries and campervans overtaking you on the road at the side of the tracks!  Mind you, the tracks are in a bad way - we thought ours rolled about - nothing compared to here.  We were held up by some "engineering works" (which turned out to be a bus that had rolled down a hill and was stuck on the tracks) and were about 40 mins late into Picton.
Checked into our hostel and then set out for a walk along a track named the Snout. It was boiling hot and the hats and Factor 50 were really needed - 30 degrees! We came to the Queen Charlotte Track lookout where you could see across to the Track itself and down into Queen Charlotte Sound - cracking views once again - made the slog worthwhile!
Back via Bobs Bay for a paddle but shingle underfoot made this extremely painful so only a short paddle was had (it cooled off the feet nicely though). Back to town for a shower and dinner out.  Found lovely seafood place where Fi had Smoked Hoki and Rich had Butterfish - both really lovely.  Then to the Irish Bar to round the evening off chatting to some Auckland bikers - great laugh!!
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