For the first time in living memory we slept through the night with the curtains open as there was absolutely no in through our picture window. And oddly enough we both had a long and restful sleep better than we had had in a long time, waking only as light came up in the sky around 7am.
The clear blue sky of yesterday had moved on and now overhead was grey, ominous looking clouds. The forecast was for rain from a down from the north later in the day so we decided to have another day or part thereof in the car and do some local sightseeing out beyond the end of Kenepuru Sound before any rain arrived.
We werent exactly on the ball getting up and by the time we had showered, dressed and had breakfast it was 10.30am.
From Te Mahia heading north the road remained sealed and every so often was wide enough for white lines down the middle.
As we drove north we didnt encounter a lot of traffic and nor was there virtually anything behind us which we guess just demonstrated how isolated the Marlborough Sounds are.
There were certainly plenty of houses in secluded spots and even though it is currently school holiday time there didnt appear to be many parked cars where access down or up to the house was restrictive due to the terrain. This led us to think that perhaps many were holiday homes and that the owners or people who might rent them just hadnt arrived yet on the second day of the holidays
At Portage there is a sizeable facility and there were more people around in the grounds as we passed by thinking it might be a good stop on the way back for a coffee and muffin.
As we headed out of the bay at Portage we were confronted by a large illuminated road information sign informing us that due to roadworks ahead we could be delayed up to an hour. After a quick thought we decided that we had all the time in the world to be delayed, or at least until the sun set, so what did it matter if we had to stop in one place for up to an hour.
Pressing on we soon passed by a mobile green light at the start of what turned out to be several kilometres of freshly resealed road. Every so often we passed by a Fulton Hogan vehicle either holding tar seal for spreading or the stone chips to be laid and then eventually reached the other end of their significant project just short of Kenepuru Head.
The road was now unsealed but in very good condition to be able to maintain 60kph + on the straight stretches.
Leaving the farmland behind the road wound up the hill until we reached a road that had us turn right and follow down towards Punga Lodge located on the next door Queen Charlotte Sound. From the top of the hill looking down on the bay it looked very inviting to visit and there was a sign saying that coffee and we assumed something to eat would be available.
However,threequarters of the way down we came across a car park area and a bold sign that indicated 4 WD vehicles only beyond. Gretchen took a look at the ‘road for 4 WD vehicles around the first corner and thought I would have difficulty with my ‘gammy hip on the steep and uneven surface.
So we abandoned that idea and returned to the main road running along the spine of the hill until we got to having to make another decision on which way to go when the crossroads to Anakoha Bay and Titirangi Bay came upon us.
Taking the Titirangi Bay road sounded interesting as it went past the site of the sunken Russian cruise liner the ‘Mikhail Lermontov which foundered after the local Picton pilot tried to take the ship through a passage too marrow for a ship of that size to navigate through. All this happened in 1986.
We calculated that the road didnt get close to the beach and any access would be on foot through the bush following the Queen Charlotte Walking Track. And in any case there would probably be nothing to see although we cannot recall if the ship was later cut up or rests on the bottom of the bay.
