Vacation 2013 - Picton, NZ - a beautiful drive through mountains and vineyards

This was the 3rd day of 4 port days in a row.  We did not have any plans for Picton before we left, but my dad did reserve a car for us in case we decided that is what we wanted to do.  At this port, our ship actually docked in Shakespeare Bay because it was too large to dock at Akaroa itself.  Unfortunately, with our car, we had paid an extra fee to have the rental car at the port (which we weren't docked at).  The area did provide free shuttles to the town, however, and where they dropped us off wasn't too long of a walk to the other port.

When we first arrived at the rental office, we weren't sure if we were going to have a car, because the woman told us that they got their cars from Christchurch, and the cars hadn't arrived yet for the day. Fortunately, they must have had some left overs from the day before, because they delivered us a car, which in the end was quite expensive after all of the added fees.

The Marlborough area where Picton is located has developed into quite the wine country.  So we drove South of Picton past Blenheim - I can't remember if we made it to Seddon or not.  Then we turned around and drove towards Nelson, stopping at the McDonalds in Blenheim for internet access and to check out a local grocery store.  We didn't quite make it there due to wanting to get back to the ship on time, and due to the windy roads.  The drive both ways was beautiful.  Here are some pictures.

A view south of Picton

This cow, near one of the vineyards, was posing for one of the pictures.  I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but she was not where she was supposed to be.  She was in a different field than the other cows in the background.

We took a lot of pictures of cattle and sheep on our trip - you would think we had never seen any in our lives!  We also took many pictures of farm machinery.  I think there are more John Deere Dealerships in each of Australia and New Zealand individually than there are in the US.

We thought we had spotted some Kiwi birds in one of the towns on our ride to Picton.  On closer inspection of the picture, this is not a kiwi bird, as it has tail feathers.

Near Picton, NZ

A view to show how long the vineyard rows are - this picture does not do justice to how great the expanses of vineyards are, though!

West of Picton - cattle lined up, walking back to get milked

Also, in New Zealand and Australia, they drive on the opposite side of the road, just like in Britain, so being a passenger was a bit scary for me, and took a little getting used to - especially with all the windy roads on the sides of mountains.  I survived, though!