Waitangi Day is a public holiday in New Zealand celebrated on the 6th of February. This year, it was on a Tuesday and I have Sunday and Monday off so I was lucky enough to get a long weekend. I have been in NZ for a year an a half now and I have never taken the ferry from Wellington to Picton and vice versa so I decided to do it this time, my first trip for 2018.

I used BlueBridge and paid NZ$106 for a round trip ticket. It takes around 3 hours each way which is definitely longer than taking a plane but you get stunning views this way.

I stayed at Alicante Backpackers which was just around 5 minutes walk from BlueBridge Terminal in Picton. Very nice and convenient location. Clean but I find the staff or maybe they were the owners, a bit cold! Other than that, it’s worth staying here. My favorite is the hallway which to me looks sophisticated.

I didn’t do much on the first day except going to the waterfront and have my ice cream. 🙂

 

The next day though was an awesome day. I made a day trip to Lochmara Lodge taking the 9am water taxi from the town.

First thing to do is to have my iced coffee with this beautiful view while waiting for the conservatory tour.

This below while on the hammock is my favorite photo taken here. Spent a few minutes just embracing the serenity of the place.

I walked for about 4 hours return taking the famous Queen Charlotte Track. Tiring but worth it!

Just for $70 I got to soak in the bath house after the long walk.

So I felt and looked fresh afterwards. 🙂

 

Took the 5pm water taxi back to town. A day spent here can’t be anymore relaxing. 🙂

On my last day waiting for my 2PM ferry back to Wellington, I just did a short walk from Victoria Domain.

What a weekend! It was an amazing experience. Marlborough Sounds is definitely a must do in New Zealand. I’m so happy it’s ticked off my list now. I highly recommend this paradise to anyone who wants to unwind. Perfect for a weekend getaway and definitely a place to go back to. 🙂

Backpacking, traveling, solo travel, filipina traveler, explorer Alicante Backpackers Bath House BlueBridge Lochmara Lodge Marlborough Sounds Picton Queen Charlotte Track south island