Picturesque Picton

There's a great town called Picton just a 25 minute drive from Blenheim.  I've mentioned it briefly before, but spent some time 3 weeks ago (eek I'm behind on blogging again!) exploring it a little closer.  

Saturday I took a walk on the Snout Track, a path from Picton out to Waikawa Bay.  Most of it is elevated and coastal.... for great views.   Here's a look back at the port of Picton.

 Some views of the Queen Charlotte Sounds from the Track..

 Absolutely gorgeous day!

 I spotted a ferry or two making their way to Picton, coming from Wellington.

This is the end of the track, Waikawa Bay.  Not a bad place for a break!

Looking down at the crystal blue water of the Bay. 

The next day my friend took me back to Picton for some more exploring.  We had lunch in a boat!  There is a docked schnooner in the Picton Harbour named Echo that has a complete cafe and restaurant inside in the bottom.  We were the only ones eating there.  How cool!

 We took a drive and a short walk to Karaka Point, the site of an old Maori pa (village).  There still exist pits of ground here which the Maori used to bury food in times of fighting and hiding.   The shore here was gorgeous as well.

I played around in the tide pools.  Water so clear!!

I spent a good 10-15 minutes just watching this starfish slowly move and curl around.

 Found a scallop, too!

All in all a great scenic weekend, so close to "home".

Cheers from Picturesque Picton!