New Year, New Adventure: Part 9 of 13
The ship made a slow 63 nautical mile crossing of the Cook Straight into Queen Charlotte Sound and up to Picton. Founded on land purchased from the local Maori clan in 1850, Picton is not big. The town is home to about 4500 people and is the rail, ferry and highway transportation hub for folks and freight moving between the North and South Island.
Day break revealed more low overcast and drizzle. The temperature dropped into the 50s, and our planned kayaking trip was cancelled. Not to worry, we made the most of our day ashore.
The central business district of Picton consists of several city blocks on High Street running up from the harbor. Based on the population, it looked like every family, if not every person in the area owns a boat. While we had lunch in the Fork and Fable , I was pleased to watch the local sailing club drag a fleet of Optimists out for a couple hours of racing.
At the foot of High Street we visited the War Memorial and then crossed over to the Picton Museum.
Along the way we checked out a local fire truck and admired the stylish turnout gear worn by the emergency responders.
Given my fascination with Herman Melville and Moby Dick, I love a local museum, especially one that leads with Whaling as the top attraction.
The museum had a comprehensive exhibit dedicated to life in remote coastal New Zealand during the last two centuries.
Shore based whaling was an important revenue source for families along the Cook Straight.
The coastal whale fishery continued until 1965 and incorporated modern technology including power boats, harpoon cannons, and radio guidance from cliff-top spotters.
The Perano Shore Station caught 4200 whales between 1911 and 1964. They were processed locally, packaged, refrigerated and shipped to buyers around the world.
When we’d had enough of Picton’s rain, for which the cashier at the local Four Square grocery apologized to us, we made our way back to the ship for the middle afternoon departure. The drizzle continued all the way up Queen Charlotte Sound, finally letting up about the time the Pilot boat came along side to collect the harbor pilot.
The last stop of the day was the ship’s Laundrette. Hanging out for an hour in a small room with six washing machines and dryers wasn’t too bad. It was warm and there were friendly folks coming and going to share stories and experiences. Thankfully, our next stop was sunny and bright.