On Wednesday morning we had breakfast, made a packed lunch then headed to the quay to join the Pelorus Mail Boat as it delivered parcels on its Westward route.

The boat was half full with some people going on the round trip, others being dropped off on the way and more being picked up. It was another fairly calm day again in the Marlborough Sounds. Our tour guide, Catherine, was the postie. She kept us very well informed. But next to Susan was a 90 year old man, accompanied by his daughter. He was brought up in the sounds and had an interesting childhood story involving an axe. I don’t think he was called Eugene.

We stopped for our picnic lunch at a sheep farm where we had a guided tour of the shearing shed, saw some possum pelts and wool, visited the washing machine reverse engineered electricity generator before sitting in the orchard under a pear tree.

On our return to Havelock we took a short journey to Blenheim, past a number of famous winerys. That evening we visited the Bamboo Garden Chinese and Thai restaurant.