Rest in Peace

Sunday, January 5, 2014

My sentence at the Jailhouse was up this morning. As cool as it was to sleep in jail for the past two nights, I was ready to be freed. You can hear every little last noise in that building as I assume you can in a real jail, and I was looking forward to a bit more rest and relaxation in my next accommodation. Don’t get me wrong though, I totally enjoyed my stay. It was quite the novelty experience; that and I also took great pleasure in referring to the receptionists as the warden.

I embarked on my third road trip of the South Island, and cruised out of Christchurch to Picton where the ferries depart for Wellington. The “traffic” was unbelievable. The Kiwis must still be on holiday, and the rest of the world has officially come to unwind in the New Zealand January summertime. I drove past the radiant blue waters North of Kaikoura, visited the sea lions at the Ohau lookout and by the time I reached the wine county in Marlborough, the primary scenic color drastically changed from a royal blue to a lustrous green.

Picton is far more picturesque than I expected it would be. The sound’s waters still reflect the same rich color like that of the East’s coastline and there are loads of swanky yachts bordering the harbor with huge palm trees in front of the beach. I checked into a hostel called The Tombstone, directly across the street from the local cemetery and was pleasantly surprised by how lovely it is here. This is definitely one of the nicest places I have stayed at in NZ. I finished doing my time this morning, now may I rest in peace this evening.

PS: Happy Birthday, Dad! Hope you had a good one. Wish you were here so we could celebrate together!