March 15 – 19, 2016
(A rare semi-current post from Cyndi)
Picton is a town of interesting contrasts. On approach it looks like a European mountain town. Once we arrived we found a small, beautiful marina where Dave, working the desk that day, had kindly managed to find us a spot. Next to the marina is the entryway to several hikes with views of the Queen Charlotte Sound. Over the highly-arched pedestrian bridge is the town.
Downtown Picton, mostly laid out along one main street about 2 blocks long, is like many small, sleepy towns in the New Zealand countryside. But there are some differences, like the more-than-typical number of cafes, or the occasional spurts of people with backpacks milling through, or the beautifully laid out, palm-tree-lined waterfront.
The fact is the ferries deliver probably hundreds of people here each day, but they quickly disperse into the backpacker hostels, the small motels, or drive off in rental camper vans and cars; and the town quickly returns to its consistent low-key feeling.
We loved Picton on sight and enjoyed our stay here. One of the specialty foods of the Marlborough sounds is green-lipped mussels, and our first night here we found a casual restaurant (Oxley Rock) that serves them in their typical way, with a garlic, butter and wine broth. But the dish was anything but typical. In fact it was outstanding. Thus, we returned nightly for those incredible mussels, now one of our favorite foods. We haven’t even made it yet to Havelock, the heart of green-lipped mussel country, but I cannot ever imagine mussels better than those at Oxley Rock.
For now, the “wind event” has passed, and we have set out cruising the sounds again. We’re not sure if we’ll go back into Picton, but if we do, there’s no doubt as to where we’ll be eating dinner.
Below, a few photos from Picton and one of the walks we took in the area. Click to enlarge and scroll.–Cyndi
