A 4.30am start to train from Waikanae to Wellington and make last checkin for the morning ferry to Picton at the top of the South Island. As soon as I sat on the train I got a text informing me of a 2-3 hr departure delay. The ferry was full, not accepting any waitlist additions until a weeks time. Wellington was at its windiest with driving rain. When we finally entered the Cook Strait, it was difficult to move around with the swaying and big swells. The return ferry was canceled because the seas were deemed too big. With that and the fact that all buses going south had left, getting accommodation was challenging. Good I had booked at the delightful, quirky and very full Atlantis backpackers. Was wonderful to catch up with some TAs also starting on the South Island, including a few minority EFIs like me (Every F#cking Inch walked 😊).
