Marlborough Wines and the Ferry to Wellington

Today we left the South Island from Picton and rode a huge ferry to Wellington in the North Island. Before we checked our luggage on the boat we saw a ton of wineries all in one area and thought we'd hit those up. That area (the north section of the South Island) is considered the "Marlborough Region" and is known to grow the best grapes for wine. We had to make sure that was true so we tested some and bought a bottle. We remain fans of white wines over the reds. They gave us a list of the ones we tried that are sold in the States so we can buy some when we get home rather than shipping.

We returned our rental car because we picked up a fresh one once we reached the North Island. Many people just drive their cars onto the ferry and take the vehicle with them.Checking into the ferry terminal was very easy and quick. The boat ride was about 3 hours and very spacious which was better than I expected. It was a pretty bumpy ride in parts and a poor little boy next to me had to get sick all over himself. Poor kiddo. If I could do it all over again I would hire a cabin for $40/person and sleep the whole time. We thought of it an hour into the ride and then didn't bother.
We got to our hotel in Wellington late afternoon and we were starving. We are staying at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor just for one night. We went down to the hotel restaurant and both got the buffet and pretty much stuffed ourselves until we could hardly move. So much good grub and such hungry bellies. We were down on the street level of our hotel and there are a lot of shops but it is definitely the hustle and bustle of the city. People walking fast, waiting to get on and off buses, and if you stop to browse at anything you may get run over. There are some different things we could go see within a real short walk but neither of us are feeling the gumption or need to see much of the city. It's very artsy fartsy here and there are lots of galleries, sculptures, museums, etc. Not up my alley whatsoever. We may do a bit of shopping and just walk around city center but then we plan on heading out of Wellington tomorrow morning. It just seems a lot different from most of the other areas we have been to in New Zealand so we are happy it's just a one-nighter. We are going to try to visit a farm tomorrow of a friend of Mark, my hairstylist guy. Her name is Hazel and she lived in the U.S. up until 20 years ago and she was a professor. She visited New Zealand and loved it and decided to stay that many years ago. So, if that works out that would be neat. We are really looking forward to our journey to Rotorua and the fun that's in store for us there. Cheers!