Have a Lock of Fun

We had a lot of fun in the town of Havelock. These tiny towns are absolutely gems in late Fall. I love the Marlborough Sounds. Endless spits of land, curly coasts, coves, and nooks with a bach or two, or maybe a small town. A “Bach” is a kiwi term for a simple, often modest, holiday home, especially one near a beach or lake. It is short for bachelor pad!!! The region reminds me of West Marin meets Vancouver Island meets Prince William Sound and maybe a hint of Mendocino or old school Tiburon.

We drove through rain all day from Pohara, with a swim stop in Nelson, to arrive in Havelock at sunset. By evening the rain and wind had ramped up. By 11pm I was checking the weather app to see if the gusts were going to rise or subside. Rock n roll RV!!! We had a few more hours of 50mph gusts then it would slowly settle down. Somehow we all got some sleep. By morning it was calm and sunny. Stunning. We had survived a wild night!!

In no time the kids sunk their teeth into Havelock - playground, outdoor fitness center, coffee shops, art gallery, they even went to the town museum together on their own. So wild. They frequented the town craft store so many times that when we stopped by on our way out of town the owner said she’d lost track of their number of visits ;) Good thing we did a bit of craft shopping!! The craft shop and art gallery both supported local artists. The gallery was a non-profit staffed by volunteers. Such gorgeous art!! They even had an upstairs outdoor patio with views and wind chimes. I love finding these nooks of the world that seem to inspire so much art. Havelock is also renowned for green lipped mussels. There are little green mussels all over town!!

I’d been thinking I haven’t met many kiwis. We’re in our RV bubble all the time. Of course once I put that in the universe, I may as well have put a sticker on my forehead “interested in talking to locals” because I promptly met several lovely kiwis in Havelock and had long conversations about life, travel, weather :)

I went on the most glorious hike-run up Mt Takorika. It had what Hazel would call ‘majestic views’. So fun when amazing trails start and finish right at the RV.

When I rolled back into town from Mt Takorika I stumbled across some town plaques and memorials. I’m sure at one time I knew that New Zealand was the birthplace of some legendary physicists but I’d forgotten. Of course I thought of my Dad who would have loved this (and surely knew it) and who had endless fascination for all things science from x-rays to rainbows. To this day I think of him when I see wild rays of light in the sky.

Then it was time to head to Picton and get the ferry to the north island. More stunning views on the way there and from the boat … noodling our way out of the Marlborough Sound and across the Cook Strait.

The seas were huuuuge. Wind was ferocious on the open deck. No doubt the deck would have been closed on a North American ferry. Too much risk and liability. It chilled me to the core. It wasn’t that warm on the boat either. I stayed cold-ish for a long time. Finally warmed up at a grocery store in Wellington. I kid you not I lingered by the rotisserie chicken stand which was soooooo warm and cozy. That’s a first.

The ferry crossing was indeed as advertised.