So it begins.

Thursday, October 16
South Island: Wellington to Picton

After finishing up my last assignment and packing and repacking my duffel bag for 10 days’ worth of travel, it was off to the railway station. Andrea and I caught a bus from Courtenay Place and arrived at Wellington Station with plenty of time to spare before the Interislander Ferry shuttle would come to pick us up. Jamie, however, wasn’t quite as successful. She ended up getting a taxi last-minute and meeting us at the ferry terminal. Good thing, too, since it kind of would have been a downer if she’d been left behind in Wellington.

Our 6:25 ferry ended up being delayed roughly 20 minutes, so we just hung out in the terminal until it was time to board. Once we got onboard the Arahura, the middle-sized of the Interislander ships, we made straight for the lounge. We sprawled out in front of one of the large windows, grabbed some dinner from the food court one deck below, and had a pleasant ride. The seas were moderate, and the gentle rocking coupled with the Dramamine I took nearly put me to sleep. But I had Jamie’s insistences of “I’m gonna throw up. I am going to puke” to keep me awake.

We arrived in a slightly soggy Picton close to 10 p.m., where we were met by a van from The Villa, the hostel where we were staying. The Villa is a cute blue house with corresponding cabins run by a friendly German family. We checked in, then were handed some hot apple crumble and shown to our cabin room. The room was a bit chilly a bare, but we didn’t really mind.

After cleaning our plates, discovering where all the showers and toilets were located, and briefly going over our plans for the next day, we went to sleep.