J ust one look at the port of Picton from the
Ferry told both Kaitlyn and I that we were going to love this quiet little
town. After disembarking the ship, we decided to walk to our hostel, as I was
pretty sure that it wasn’t too far away. Turns out it was less than a 5 minute
walk! Score one for Picton! After looking back and forth at the outside of two
somewhat sketchy looking hostels, we chose to try our luck at the Picton Lodge.
[We were greeted by a very nice receptionist and a very
cute ( and somewhat vocal until you gave it attention) poodle. We ended up
getting two beds in an 8-bed dorm, which we were pleasantly surprised to find
that we only had to share it with one other girl. The beds were super
comfortable and the showers had decent water pressure! Score two for Picton!
After taking a short rest, Kaitlyn and I
changed into our swimsuits and made our way to the beach ( another short walk of
approximately 10 minutes) . This time the sun was out in full shine and we were
able to suntan on the beach for a couple hours. Score three for Picton! For all
those who had to remind me a hundred times to use sunscreen, I did remember to
put it on and didn’t get sunburnt! It was so nice to just relax and soak up the
sun. I think it finally hit me that I was in New Zealand, on a beach, with my
best friend! Talk about enjoying the finer things in life.
We stopped for dinner at a small restaurant
near our hostel, called Toot ‘N Whistle. Here we tried a different kind of beer
called Tui blonde, which turned out to be just as good as the Kiwi Beer in
Auckland. We also each got a ‘Toot Burger’, which came almost fully-loaded,
including an egg to top it off. It was actually really yummy ( though I was
craving a burger…) Score four for Picton!
The next morning we bought a couple tickets
for the Coastal Pacific train which would take us all the way to Christchurch;
through the mountains, along the coast, and past some agricultural areas. The
train left at 1:00pm, so we decided to do some hiking through Victoria Domain
( which would be classified somewhere between a cross of a big hill and a
mountain) . Turns out, this was a great idea as we got
some great views of the harbour, the channel that lead to the ocean, and the
town of Waikawa. Talk about some classic New Zealand scenery! Score five for
Picton!
Kaitlyn and I were both very excited to take
the train to Christchurch, as neither of us had ever been on a passenger train
before. It was to be a 5.5 hour trip. We’d heard mixed stories, obviously the
websites offering tickets for the journey said great things about it; however
we also talked to a few people who said it wasn’t worth the money at all. All I
have to say is: “Man, was I impressed! ” We spent a few hours taking photos from
the outdoor carriage, which led to some really tangly hair that took a while to
brush, but it was completely worth it. I’d highly recommend the trip to anyone
who wants a good look at the varying landscape in New Zealand.
We got into Christchurch at around 6:30pm,
checked into our hostel, and went out exploring for a place to eat. Kaitlyn and
I were able to see some of the damage from the recent earthquakes that had hit
the town, however it wasn’t until the next day that we got a good look at the
full extent of the damage. More on this soon!
Overall, Picton was my favourite town in New
Zealand. I loved the smaller size – it just felt so much more relaxing and
peaceful, not to mention friendly (everyone seemed to smile and say hello)! I’m
no country bumbkin like a certain friend of mine, but I definitely enjoyed the smaller
town atmosphere better than the large busy cities.
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