Our day began with the drive from Blenheim to Havelock to pick up the mailboat. We didn’t really know what to expect, but what we ended up getting was the best value for our $ experience on the entire trip. Many of the residents in the Pelorous sound have no electricity and no good road access, so they get their mail delivered by a private company (the mail boat) that is subsidized by the government and tour-goers such as ourselves. Aside from the scenic views, we got to hear about the history of the area and the locals that we were delivering mail to. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, we handed out Moon Pies that we had brought from home to the locals. We had several dolphin come swim in the wake of the boat, including a Hector’s Dolphin, which was quite a treat! One stop included a trip to an old house on the sound. The views and absolute silence and solitude out there were AMAZING! Along the way, we also got to see Mussell Farms in action and learn about that growing and harvesting process. We later got to try some of the famous green-lip mussells fresh from the sound, although I cannot say we’re huge fans of them =)
After a wonderful day out on the water, we made the drive out to the Abel Tasman to stage for tomorrow’s hike.
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Everything is so beautiful!