February 10
Porirua to Havelock

As is usual on these occasions, I woke an hour before the alarm was due to go off – at 04.45. This did permit me to listen to the 05.00 news, which wasn’t very comforting. The previous evening one of the Inter Island ferries had sailed into Wellington Harbour and performed a 3 point turn without anyone touching the steering wheel. It then did a lightning fast turn round and managed to get out again before the safety authorities could catch it. The ferry was eventually ‘detained’ in Picton Harbour and won’t be allowed to leave until the authorities are convinced that the steering has been fixed. Given that this particular vessel has a long history of malfunction, that may take some time.

Thus encouraged, I completed my final checks, drove into Wellington and boarded the Lynx without any unusual occurrences. After the heat of the recent days, it was cool and cloudy so I actually had to wear a jacket to venture out on deck.

Wellington Harbour	Cook Strait

We made good progress across Cook Strait and I braved a mediocre ham sandwich and a slightly better coffee. This seemed a better option than the bacon & egg bagel – a classic Jewish breakfast!

Massed ranks of photographers	Into Tory Channel

As we entered Tory Channel, the cloud lifted and the sun appeared in the sky. Photography was restricted, however, as it was still windy and a blast of spray soon settled on my protective filter – not on the lens I am relieved to say – and I had to rush inside to clean it.

We arrived on time, managed not to do a 3 point turn in the harbour, and I disembarked into bright sunshine. Last time I was here, it was dull and damp but everything had been burnt brown by a lengthy drought. This year, there was a surprising amount of green in the fields, testament to the unusually damp spring.

	After saluting the cheese factory, now closed following a major fire a few months ago, I drove straight to the vineyards for a coffee and a bottle of chilli sauce, the former at St Clair winery and the latter at the adjoining country preserve shop. I had the coffee in a very pretty garden with lots of flowers and a nice water feature.
St Clair Vineyard
Coffee at St Clair Vineyard	Hunters Vineyard - sculpture garden

Hunters Winery was slightly brighter than on my last visit, when it was dull and miserable. The sun was shining brightly and the gardens were magnificent. The case of wine that I had ordered on the phone was waiting and I acquired another couple of bottles which were on special offer. I even saw Paddy the dog and his owner, Jane, recently voted the first woman of the world’s wine industry.

I visited a number of vineyards, tasted a little wine but was restrained in my purchasing. The weather was beautiful, with the green vines standing out against the clear blue sky. After one false start, I didn’t fancy the menu, I arrived at Cellier le Brun, a methode champenoise specialists, established by a French family and with a smart restaurant. The staff were an interesting mix of locals, Americans and French, both of the latter being difficult to understand. All very confusing. The food was very posh and certainly not cheap. The tableware was expensive and the napkins & cloth very high quality. I am still not convinced about the food.
	The vineyards from Cloudy Bay Vineyard
Lunch at Cellier le Brun	Framingham Vineyard

Framingham Vineyard has beautiful flowers but, alas, none of the Montepulciano that I was seeking, so I took the road to Havelock, about half an hour away.

After a brief stop, I took the scenic route back into the Marlborough Sounds. The road passes along the tree lined ridge, offering tempting glimpses of the water. There were numerous mail boxes and gates along the roadside belonging to houses which were hidden from the road and which must have wonderful sea views. Checking the local estate agents later in the afternoon suggested that they fetch pretty high prices. By now it was extremely hot – confirmed at 31 by the evening weather report – and any thoughts of going for a walk were rapidly abandoned.

Marlborough Sounds

Marlborough Sounds I settled for a cold drink at The Portage, a posh hotel and conference centre. Suitably refreshed, I retraced my steps to Havelock and checked into the motel, which was new, well equipped and comfortable.
	The Portage
	The Portage

The main road passes through the town (village really) but at tea time on a Thursday, everything was quiet. After a much needed snooze, I visited the Information Centre, found out where to go for a reasonable walk and wandered into the harbour, centre of the mussel farming industry.

There, I found the Slip Inn, a pretty spot on the water front where I had another cold drink, another fruit juice. In this heat, alcohol didn’t seem a sensible idea. I took several photographs but the extreme contrast between the shaded area under the canopy and the bright sunshine outside defeated my best efforts. Some ham-fisted post processing managed to produce the above. It is a very pleasant place.

Another rest and then out to the Mussel Boys restaurant, a tiny chain which started here and which, surprise surprise, specialises in mussels. I have eaten there before, it has a nice garden and it was fairly busy. Many of the customers were taking advantage of the free insect repellent which was on offer but I had no problems. I then went home to bed. Right: Mussel Boys at dusk
Free fly spray with every meal	Dinner