Journal: Pages 59-60
The
rain came, went and came again at Picton, following a strong northeasterly wind
and a cold front (yes, I’ve been following weather reports on Channel One).
Havelock
is the "Green-shelled Mussel Capital of the World." The locally-made
mussel pie tasted much better than it might sound.
Having
started the trip from Picton at around 7:30, I reluctantly turned back to
retrace my route at Richmond, at exactly halfway towards my intended destination
of Puponga at Cape Farewell, the northernmost point of South Island.
Local
expression "good as gold" (equivalent of "you're welcome")
must have been a vestige of the gold rush days in the latter half of the
nineteenth century
Dinner
bought from the supermarket (roast chicken, cherry tomatoes, cheese, smoked
salmon, liver pate and a tiny bottle of cabernet sauvignon) was an antidote to
the recent binge of fish and chips. I couldn't finish the bland chicken before
tossing it, and I still have 16 tangerines to enjoy.
Tuesday
1 June 2004
Itinerary:
Photo
Stops:
New
Zealand is observing the Transit of Venus, an event marked by the eclipse of the
planet Venus before the sun. In the early eighteenth century, the British Royal
Society commissioned James Cook to chase after the Transit in the southern
hemisphere. He did that and a bit more, including his claim for the crown two
large Maori-inhabited islands that were to become the nation of New Zealand.
The
5:30 - 8:30 crossing of the Cook Strait brought its groggy passengers to the
Kiwi capital, bathed in the glow of dawn. For breakfast, I happily consumed the
groceries I purchased yesterday at Picton: South Ocean smoked salmon with New
Zealand hard cheese and baguette.