Top Of The South... My Week In Picton Town...

This is the Picton foreshore...
In the middle of the picture is where the Inter Island ferries dock.
Picton is a small town at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.
Named after Sir Thomas Picton, the Welsh military associate of the
Duke of Wellington,
who was killed in the Battle of Waterloo.
Combined with nearby Waikawa
 it has a population of aproximately 6-7000.

The east side of the foreshore...
A small marina and where the historical Scow 'Echo'
is at rest, set in concrete and  being restored as a museum/cafe...
Read about it and some fascinating NZ history here
A wonderful place for an evening drink and stunning sunsets.

A sunny Saturday afternoon...
 It was the annual  Santa parade so lots of people out and about.

It's a lovely reserve area... Childrens paddling pool...
Picnic area...

Steps up to the town centre...

And the humming main street...
Full of cafes and all sorts of shops and tourist attractions.

Christmas carols... The 'stage' on the flat deck on the back of a truck.

This is my friend Cathy... We went shopping in Blenheim...
And what better thing to do than sit and sample one of the
excellent Marlborough wines before heading home for dinner.
(We did have a sober driver - Cathy's daughter - with us!)


This is where I stayed... Cathy and David's lovely house and garden.
Under the house is a flat that I occupied... It's just across the little bridge...
Surrounded by lush bush.


It was like living in a tree house... Totally surrounded by a green oasis.


A glimpse of the lawn...


There is a little stream here... right outside my door.


And here is the lawn... Where croquet is set up...
At the bottom of the lawn is an old walnut tree.
David picks them in 12th December while they are still soft and green...
And pickles them... Delicious


There is a micro climate... The combination of native and exotic
trees are so dense...


A swing seat to relax in... And a pool for when the weather is hotter.
I planned to stay 2-3 days but stayed for a week.
Not hard to do.