Picton

Picton is a small town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. It is the place that the ferries between the north and south islands come into. For many people it is just a place to transit through, but it is a nice little place in its own right.

Picton water front

I am staying at a hostel called The Jugglers’ Rest and when I get here I discover that this is not just its name, it’s also describes its function. Jugglers and other performers stay here on-route to various festivals. Unfortunately at the moment all the good jugglers are away at a local festival and meanwhile the backpackers staying here have a go with the various items of juggling equipment that are available and I polish up my 3-ball juggling skill.

Jugglers’ Rest – Phillip with juggling balls and Sarah with Poi

In the afternoon I take a short walk out to the headland where there are fabulous views of Queen Charlotte Sound.

Me and Queen Charlotte Sound

On Monday it is Waitangi Day, which is a public holiday to mark the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and Maori in 1840. The treaty caused some confusion right from the start, as translation issues meant that the version written in the Maori language differed from the English one in small, but significant details. In the north island this day often involves controversy as the Maori tackle the Prime Minister on ancient and recent issues, but in the south island the day is more about unity and inclusivity. I find out that there is to be an event at the local Maori Marae (meeting place) and as I have not been able to absorb much in the way of Maori culture on this trip so far, I go along with Sarah, my lovely Swiss roommate from the hostel. We turn up just before 10 in the morning and we are greeted in the entrance gateway by a friendly Maori representative, who explains to us and the other visitors what will happen. There will be a ceremony for us to be welcomed onto the Marae by the elders of the tribe. We arrange ourselves in a group, with the women and children flanked by the men and when we are called in, we walk like this into the compound. We have to take our shoes off before going into the meeting house and then we file past a row of 6 elders and touch noses and shake hands with them. We sit in rows of chairs, facing the elders and a group of young people wearing traditional dress. One of the elders starts the proceedings by making a long speech in Maori and then one of the visitors responds by saying how happy we are to be here and to share this important day with them. Then there is some singing and challenges which include face-pulling, to check out whether we are friends or foe and a sung response from us to reassure them we are friendly. After the ceremony, one of the elders gives us a tour of the house, pointing out the symbolism of the construction and explaining some of the characters depicted in the carvings on the walls. One wall depicts characters from their tribal history and the opposite wall has images from outside the tribe, including Abel Tasman and James Cook. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house, but here is a picture of the front of building.

Marae

Now the formal part of the day is over the rest of the programme is more like a fun day, with a barbecue, bouncy castle, baby show and egg and spoon race. There are also a couple of Maori performances of singing and dancing, which are very enjoyable. The women sing sweetly and melodiously, swinging their skirts and making gestures. The men join in too, but add an interesting bass line by occasionally beating their chests, issuing harrumphs and pulling faces, haka-style.

Performance groups

I decide to experience the Marlborough Sounds from the water and arrange to do a day’s sea kayaking on Tuesday. Our guide is a Kiwi called Marius and then there are 4 of us: me and Jacob from Austria in one kayak and Alex and Elizabeth from Germany in another. We set off from a beach just west of Picton.

Preparing to Kayak

The day is overcast and the clouds make the Sounds very atmospheric. The constantly changing light alters the colour of the water from turquoise, to green, to black. We paddle for a couple of hours along the coast and then across the Sound to a small beach, for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon Jacob leaves us to walk on the Queen Charlotte Track, so I go in a kayak with Marius.

Me

As we paddle, the wind gets up and we keep to the shore line where we can, for shelter. We get to a point that we have to paddle around to get back to Picton and we can see the wind blowing the sea into waves in front of us. We round the point and paddle directly into the wind, with the waves splashing over the front of the kayak and the rain in our faces. I am glad to have Marius in my kayak with me. The other two are struggling to make headway, so Marius attaches a line to their canoe and we go along together. We take some shelter and a rest behind a small island before tackling the last stretch to Picton beach.  By the time we get to the waterfront the wind has dropped and the rain has stopped. It was a great day and the changeable weather made it an interesting and varied experience and enough of a challenge for us to feel pleased with our achievement.

Made it!

The other experience I feel I should have while I am in this Marlborough region, is a wine tour, so I arrange this for Wednesday afternoon. I get picked up from the backpackers in a small coach and join a group of 8 others. We are taken the short drive to the Wairau Valley which is the heart of wine region. The vineyards are planted on stony riverbed soil, which the vines seem to like and the region has long sunny days, but not excessive heat which suits the production of the grapes.

Marlborough Region Vineyards

We visit 4 different vineyards, each with a very different atmosphere. One is a big corporation and another is a small family business. We get some information about viticulture, but it’s really all about tasting the wines.

Forest Vineyard Cellar Door

Sauvignon Blanc is the original grape variety of this area and more recently Pinot Gris (which is the New Zealand version of Pinot Grigiot) has been developed. We also try Chardonnays, Rieslings and red wines such as Pinot Noir and Syrah (which is the New Zealand version of Shiraz). For each tasting we get a small amount – just a couple of sips, but we try about 4 wines in each place and soon one wine begins to taste like another. I guess it’s a bit like trying perfume – after two sniffs you can’t differentiate any more. I’m not overly excited about the whole thing. I'm not too bothered about the intricacies of the different smells and flavours; I just like the wines I like and I realise that I should be more discerning in making my choices about what I do. Just because something is on offer, or other people have done it and enjoyed it, doesn’t mean that I should do it.