Wellington-Picton-Wellington

I have always loved celebrating birthdays with family and friends. Since this year my birthday happened to be on a weekday (when everyone is busy in their routines), I decided to celebrate it with a 2-days solo trip. Trust me, it was worth it.

This time my destination for solo trip was Picton in South Island of New Zealand. I have been to Picton before while on my way to Christchurch. But this time I decided to stay a night in Picton and enjoy some slow time in this small town. This time again, I chose the Interislander Ferry for escaping to the South from North Island. Since we have almost made it to the winter season, the weather was dramatic, the sea wild, and the wind as cold as it could be. But the ambience and hospitality of Interislander made the journey memorable and worth taking all the pain for.

Thanks to Booking.com for helping me choose a comfortable stay at Gateway Motel in Picton. It is located in the centre of town which made it easy for me to explore the nearby places by walks.

On the first day of the trip, I explored the Edwin Fox Ship and Visitor Centre which is next to Picton’s waterfront and is one of the best places to visit in all the weather conditions. The entry ticket is $15 for adults which is worth paying the price to see an age-old ship well-preserved here in New Zealand.

Edwin Fox was built as a full-rigged ship in the year 1853 in Bengal in India. After a number of voyages around the world transporting troops, immigrants, and convicts the ship now rests in Picton where it is maintained by Marlborough Heritage Trust.

It’s hard to describe the emotions that I felt while walking inside the ship and standing next to the mast. Despite the heavy rain and the hollow wind, I could hear stories and conversations of the people who traveled on board and how this old beauty still carries those memories in her consciousness. Every creak spoke of the pain and longing for its home.

Picton Day 2

I spent the second day walking around Picton waterfront, Shelly beach, Victoria Domain, and souvenir shops in the town centre. The city centre is a way to a number of walking tracks like Bob’s Bay and Shakespeare Bay which are within 30-minute walking distance. If you are really keen on a big adventure, you can book yourself into a boat cruise to Queen Charlotte Track and Malborough Sounds. Picton i-SITE is a good place to explore your cruising options from Picton.

While I reached back to Wellington late in the evening, some people managed to make my birthday more special with these lovely surprises. Thanks for these beautiful moments. You completed my day!

Thanks to Uber and the crew at Interislander for making my journey comfortable and flawless.

Thanks to all those who made my birthday special and memorable as I wanted to be. Thank YOU for reading the blog and going through all those good and bad photos. Feedback is always appreciated.

Stay safe where you are and keep spreading the smile!