Boarded Inter Islander ferry at Wellington. We had a very smooth cruise to Picton South Island. We sailed the Marlborough Sound , a drowned river valley. I spent most of the 3.5 hour cruise on deck looking for Whales and or dolphins. Did not see any of these but numerous seabirds. There were few settlements, large forests and some isolated houses only approachable by water. An interesting cruise.
On arrival at Picton we discovered that Chris and Dave's luggage had gone missing, eventually discovered and recovered from the railway station. Also the car we were expecting was not available. We were offered a smaller car that would not hold all our luggage. Then a Highlander which after a few tries we manage to squeeze it all in.

Our journey took us over Queen Charlotte's Drive. A beautiful if twisty coastal and mountain road. On reaching Nelson we found our B&B. This was near the reputed centre of New Zealand. The house was old and noisy. The landlady absent. She had left her daughter in charge who had little interest in meeting needs of her guests!
We walked into Nelson, an interesting town with beautiful parks, interesting houses and an attractive coastline. We found a good restaurant where we had a very nice meal and were entertained by our waiter.