A fun-filled night at home but onward we must push — another early start to be checked in at 7:15am on the Bluebridge ferry, sailing full due to being one ship down. Very calm crossing; second breakfast and coffee, well enjoyed. Quick unloading and lunch at Picton.

Off we went up Queen Charlotte Drive — not too bad, a meandering sort of day. Lots of stops to admire the views; the ice cream did not happen as the shop was closed, but a soft drink at the pub certainly helped. Rolled into Havelock for a reasonably relaxed evening; dinner and drinks at the gastropub — I had the mussels. Ready for another day in the saddle.

Rinse, reset, repeat.

Rode along my most favourite road on the TA — Queen Charlotte Road around the Marlborough Sounds. Fell asleep on the ferry and woke up docking into Picton — bonus. Stopped halfway at Linkwater for an ice cream as it was quite hot. Alright, it was a beer. Okay, it was actually two. Good first day on the South Island. Toodle pip.

A very cruisy day with a downhill run to the ferry and then Picton to Havelock of approximately 35 kilometres. We are now at 1600 kilometres, which is more than halfway — and that is good. The Queen Charlotte Road is stunning with only around 470 metres of elevation and lovely rolls off the climbs. The scenery was stunning with gorgeous vistas over the Marlborough Sounds at every turn. We all sat at a camping ground waiting for the office to open as we thought they sold ice creams — wrong. As it was a stunning day, no one cared.

Loving life.