March 2, 2019 – Picton, New Zealand
We arrived in Picton at 7 am. Picton is on the north shore of the South Island.
Today we have a wine tour of the Marlborough. We planned this tour back in October though Viator and I received confirmation from the tour operator that they would get us back to the ship in time for our 2 pm departure time.
Our scheduled pickup time was 9:30 am. We left the ship at 8:45 am and did the 15 minute walk to the “I – Site” or tourist information site. This was our pickup point. We found our guide and I asked for reassurance that we would be back in time for a 2 pm departure. The expression on her face was one of surprise. She called her boss and came back in a few minutes. We could cancel our tour now or do the tour and be back at 3:30. We would miss our ship. It didn’t matter that I had reassurances from the tour operator in writing. This woman was just the guide and made none of the decisions. We got out of the van and decided to tour the city on our own. I had a chat with the folks at Viator and they promptly refunded our money. I doubt if they will be using that tour company again. I am very happy with Viator but not with this tour company. Viator works with numerous tour operators, prices are better than booking directly, and refunds are not an issue.
We decided to make the best of it. The town was small and the surroundings beautiful. We stopped in quite a few shops ( I assumed the waiting position out on the street). One shop we did go to was the hardware store. I purchased a French press coffee carafe. My only complaint with HAL is the coffee. It is the worst coffee I have ever tasted. It looks like Turkish coffee but taste like camel dung. There are places on the ship to purchase a better cup but I never make the trip. We also stopped in the grocery store. I guess folk from New Zealand don’t drink much coffee. Maybe 10 different brands in tiny little packages. I’m not sold on any of the “free trade, organic, or sustainable” baloney on any of the packages. I would have settled for a can of Folgers at this point. No such cans existed. I bought a few tiny little packages and we left. It reminds me of my experience the day before when we went cigar shopping. $40 for one cigar? Not going to happen.
We wandered into a park and listened to a band. Definitely a band of seniors. After a few numbers the band took a break. We were sitting on the grass in front and the pianist wondered over and we struck up a chat. I told him he needed to turn up his volume and he thanked me. Colin was probably the best musician out of the group but it was difficult to hear him. After our conversation, much better!
Blenheim is about 20 minutes away from Picton. This group rehearses once per week. The Blenheim Orphans Club performs at many senior centers throughout the region. Colin joked that members must have a heart attack or a prostectomy before they can join. They are orphans only because of their inability to join a well know organization that was formed after WWII. This organization began as a way to get men back into society after the war. The youngest member in the group is 65 and the oldest 80. They were pretty competent on their instruments but vocally were challenged.
We wondered back to the ship after 1 pm. Enough time for the all aboard at 1:30 and departure at 2 pm.…