Grand Tour South XIII

After our 3 nights it was time to see how all our new purchases could fit in with all our other luggage. It was raining so with the roof up there was a fraction more space for everything, it remained to be seen if we could do the same with the roof down. It rained on and off all the way to Blenheim where we called in on friends Mike and Eveline. After admiring the collection of Alfas in Mike’s garage he fired up his 2600 Spider and he and son Tim lead us to the Omaka Avation Heritage Centre which houses a fascinating display of WW1 aircraft, memorabilia and information. Many of the planes are working replicas built to painstaking authenticity set in scenes depicting actual events, making the experience much more involving.
The rain on the hanger roof was a reminder that things had not improved much outside and so we left Omaka with the roof up and the familiar drip on the right foot. Lunch stop was at the Marlborough River Queen, a ferry done up like a paddle steamer but powered by two well-hidden outboards. The ferry wasn’t sailing but was offering large lunch platters of local meats and cheeses on board. We were the only ones to brave the rain so we watched the ducks paddle past and the trout scooting across the shallows from the comfort of the saloon. Our hosts joined us and told us of their hopes that the business would take off soon but things had not gone as smoothly as they had hoped since they had bought the business 9 months earlier. Wishing them all the best with their venture we headed off to Picton only to come across a car accident that had happened moments earlier. Fortunately no one was hurt but one car was blocking both north and south bound lanes with a bent suspension arm jamming the front wheel making it impossible to shift by the limited manpower present. A grader that we had overtaken shortly before arrived and hooked the car onto the back and dragged it to the shoulder allowing the traffic to pass. We eventually got to Picton and booked back in to our motel. We were looking forward to having a lazy afternoon exploring Picton and the surrounding area but the weather precluded that so we hit the streets for some window shopping - not that we could fit anything more in the car - and a last chance for a meal of blue cod (not Terakihi).