Mick was hoping for some high seas, and I was glad I had paid an extra $86NZ each to have a seat in the Premium Lounge. At least we would rock and roll in comfort.

We found a comfortable lounge chair each beside a window and enjoyed breakfast for the first half hour, before we set sail (exactly on time at 8.45am).

The weather was overcast, but Wellington Harbour looked beautiful. I tried my hand at a few panoramic snaps to capture the scenery.

After breakfast was cleared away, we set sail and morning tea was placed on the buffet table. There was no shortage of food. And it was all fresh and delicious. I even treated myself to a glass of champagne – steeling myself for what I thought might be my last trip if the seas got crazy.

There were a few small waves during the first hour of our cruise, and I wondered if that was it. As it turned out, it was. The trip was beautiful. And so was the champagne.

We ventured outside when we passed through Marlborough Sounds – weaving through small islands and passing mussel farms on our way towards Picton.

The weather visibly improved the closer we came to the South Island, and as we arrived into Picton, the sun was shining on the small village where will spend three nights.

We are staying in the main street of town, in the thick of all the action. There are a number of walks around the foreshore of Picton which I hope to explore while we are here. Mick spotted an Irish bar on the way to our motel which he is hoping to explore (perhaps when I am on my walks!).

We wandered through the compact town centre during the afternoon and gained our bearings for where we need to be tomorrow morning for a boat trip and wine tasting tour. Mick’s eyes further lit up as he kept spotting different bars, hotels and watering holes “a great town for a pub crawl” he claimed.

For dinner we first selected the bar the ‘Thirsty Pig’ where we chose an Otago Pinot Noir each while we perused the menu. We were very disappointed with the wine as it had been opened for awhile, but the locals didn’t seem to mind. Actually, most of the locals were drinking anything but wine. Beer was the first choice.

The TVs were playing the local rugby game, but I had (quickly) decided that I did not want to have dinner here. So we headed off in search of another restaurant.

And we found Sisu. Amazing

Mick wants to go back tomorrow. And we might just do that.