Picton is interesting for me (Karen) because my father lives there, so the things that we grew up doing there aren’t typical tourist attractions – more about sailing, swimming and relaxing. We took the Bluebridge ferry from Wellington to Picton on 24 January, and spent four nights staying at Dad’s place. Some of the highlights were:

• A trip to Anakiwa – known for Outward Bound and the start of the Queen Charlotte Sounds but we did neither of those, instead opting for jetty jumping and swimming in the brisk water.
• Going sailing with my Dad in his boat. There is something about being out on the water that is calmness and exhilaration and refreshment all mixed up (would have been better if the sun had come out at the beginning of our sail instead of at the end!)
• Finding the creepiest Mickey Mouse ever on the Picton foreshore.  We could only tell it was Mickey by the fact Donald was nearby and had been done slightly more accurately.

  

• Walking down to the Waikawa marina at sunset
• Slowing our pace down. Between finishing our jobs, packing our house and attending family events, we were both exhausted and it was good to begin to relax, sleep and start to move out of “go, go, go” mode.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. 
–Mark Twain