BLOG POST 25
Before we alighted from the inter islander ferry Kaitaki ,Tony gathered our group together and told us that there was going to be a slight crowding at departing point so we had to get down individually and take a blue line down the street and wait for him ,we could finish having our lunch in Picton
He had to meet the coach Captain of the bus coming down from south island loaded with passengers who were going to start the North Island tour and would be in Kaitaki returning from Picton to Wellington ,we had bid a fond farewell to Megan on the previous day in Wellington ,she was a wonderful woman ,ever patient ,handling all the heavy luggage effortlessly ,was proficient with Maori culture and in totality was a good sport
We gathered our bags and prepared to get down from the ferry, Tony handed over our maps over the 3 odd hours in the ferry he had diligently drawn route maps for all of us ,places we were going to cover in the South Islands and those covered in North Island
On the way out we found ourselves amidst lot of cars and other vehicles getting ready to get off, we came out of the ferry terminal and faithfully followed the blue line and viola ! we found ourselves in the centre of the town
We went searching for a good restaurant ,by then we had discovered the art of searching for small restaurants serving sea food and would order economical and filling food with a bit of spice thrown In.
On the main road we found a small restaurant serving take away food , happily ordered fish and chips with chicken and lamb kebabs and luckily we found a counter there to eat our stuff and eventually some of our group members sauntered in for food
While waiting for Tony we went around wandering to while away time but we had a cautious eye on other members of our bus as we didn’t want to miss our bus.
I could see and also used the wash rooms set in the garden at the wharf, were so clean and neat ,not at all like a public toilet
Tony came with the bus after a while ,he was literally sweating and flustered ,apparently the bus coming from South Island was late because of road work going on and the tourists from south island almost missed the ferry .We were introduced to our new coach captain Peter who was a South Islander and also very good
Picton is a town in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand's South Island. The town is located near the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound, 25 km north of Blenheim and 65 km west of Wellington.
Picton is a major hub in New Zealand's transport network, connecting South Island road and rail network with ferries across Cook Strait to Wellington and the North Island. It has a population of 4,360, making it the second-largest town in the Marlborough Region behind Blenheim.
Built around a very sheltered harbor, the town has an attractive seafront dotted with cafés , restaurants and various galleries. There’s also a floating maritime museum and an aquarium. Local operators can take us cruising, fishing, dolphin watching, sea kayaking or mountain biking.
Unfortunately we had just an hour to spend there and set going in the bus to Blenheim where we were going to stay for that night in Marlborough scenic hotel
On the way we stopped for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre ,an aviation museum located at the Omaka Air Field, 5 km from the centre of Blenheim
Heritage aviation interest began in Marlborough area in late 1990s and Marlborough War birds Association was formed. In 1997, a small group of aircraft owners and enthusiasts established New Zealand Aviation. A decade of collaborative activity lead to establishment of the Marlborough Aviation Cluster
Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, which occupies around 3,000 sqm of display area was officially opened on 9th Dec 2006. Stage Two was opened in 2016
It has two sections and has separate pricing and a reduced pricing for both combined
Omaka's first exhibition, “Knights of the Sky”, presents one of the world's largest collections of World War I and rare memorabilia, including a mix of static displays along with flyable planes. The collection is on long term loan to the museum and is managed by the 14-18 Aviation Heritage Trust, chaired by film director Sir Peter Jackson
Jackson’s got the exhibition designed by Joe Blakeley and was able to employ the talents of Wellington's finest set builders, painters and props specialists, enhanced with lifelike mannequins by Weta Workshop. Despite its complexity the exhibition took less than 10 weeks to complete from design to opening.
"Knights of the Sky" features rare memorabilia, such as an Iron Cross cut from the fuselage of the Red Baron's Fokker after he crash-landed it, having been fatally wounded by a shot to chest as he pursued enemy aircraft.
There are personal stories of heroic individuals, including a New Zealand ace who jumped out of cockpit and onto the wing to steady and then to steer the disabled craft until he could get low enough to the ground to jump off safely.
It was both fascinating and frightening to see the whole recreated scene, we had a close and personal" look at the guy whose steady nerves brought him back safely against great odds.
Dangerous Skies" features World War II aircraft and fascinating memorabilia from the Eastern Front as well as a gripping short film on the Battle of Stalingrad. The exhibition display about Lydia Litvyak , a female ace fighter and "Hero of the Soviet Union" is fascinating and utterly arresting when you come upon it
It was amazing to see how fragile the early aircraft were (wood, cloth and wires) and it was also interesting to note the speed at which new innovation was adopted.
The saddest part was to read that most pilots were around 20 and few made it to 23 . I have always felt that all wars have been unnecessary events which have ruined mankind and the worst affected are the young ones who either get badly hurt maiming them for life or die leaving their family to grieve for them The displays are so real and authentic,planes had bullet holes and dents. We found a plane crashed into a snowy tree, another with a soldier standing on the wing, one wired in a muddy field, another has crash landed and pilot was being pulled out of the cock pit
Whole museum was amazing, informative with rare exhibits. We saw a great 360 degree surround type video for 8 minutes, which showed WW2 bombing movie it was amazing and definitely worth the time spent .There was a cafe with a good range of drinks and food and we had an amazing coffee
We then went to the hotel to rest for the day early as we had a long distance to travel the next day
Before we alighted from the inter islander ferry Kaitaki ,Tony gathered our group together and told us that there was going to be a slight crowding at departing point so we had to get down individually and take a blue line down the street and wait for him ,we could finish having our lunch in Picton
He had to meet the coach Captain of the bus coming down from south island loaded with passengers who were going to start the North Island tour and would be in Kaitaki returning from Picton to Wellington ,we had bid a fond farewell to Megan on the previous day in Wellington ,she was a wonderful woman ,ever patient ,handling all the heavy luggage effortlessly ,was proficient with Maori culture and in totality was a good sport
We gathered our bags and prepared to get down from the ferry, Tony handed over our maps over the 3 odd hours in the ferry he had diligently drawn route maps for all of us ,places we were going to cover in the South Islands and those covered in North Island
On the way out we found ourselves amidst lot of cars and other vehicles getting ready to get off, we came out of the ferry terminal and faithfully followed the blue line and viola ! we found ourselves in the centre of the town
On the main road we found a small restaurant serving take away food , happily ordered fish and chips with chicken and lamb kebabs and luckily we found a counter there to eat our stuff and eventually some of our group members sauntered in for food
While waiting for Tony we went around wandering to while away time but we had a cautious eye on other members of our bus as we didn’t want to miss our bus.
Picton is a town in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand's South Island. The town is located near the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound, 25 km north of Blenheim and 65 km west of Wellington.
Picton is a major hub in New Zealand's transport network, connecting South Island road and rail network with ferries across Cook Strait to Wellington and the North Island. It has a population of 4,360, making it the second-largest town in the Marlborough Region behind Blenheim.
Unfortunately we had just an hour to spend there and set going in the bus to Blenheim where we were going to stay for that night in Marlborough scenic hotel
On the way we stopped for the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre ,an aviation museum located at the Omaka Air Field, 5 km from the centre of Blenheim
Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, which occupies around 3,000 sqm of display area was officially opened on 9th Dec 2006. Stage Two was opened in 2016
It has two sections and has separate pricing and a reduced pricing for both combined
Omaka's first exhibition, “Knights of the Sky”, presents one of the world's largest collections of World War I and rare memorabilia, including a mix of static displays along with flyable planes. The collection is on long term loan to the museum and is managed by the 14-18 Aviation Heritage Trust, chaired by film director Sir Peter Jackson
"Knights of the Sky" features rare memorabilia, such as an Iron Cross cut from the fuselage of the Red Baron's Fokker after he crash-landed it, having been fatally wounded by a shot to chest as he pursued enemy aircraft.
There are personal stories of heroic individuals, including a New Zealand ace who jumped out of cockpit and onto the wing to steady and then to steer the disabled craft until he could get low enough to the ground to jump off safely.
It was amazing to see how fragile the early aircraft were (wood, cloth and wires) and it was also interesting to note the speed at which new innovation was adopted.
The saddest part was to read that most pilots were around 20 and few made it to 23 . I have always felt that all wars have been unnecessary events which have ruined mankind and the worst affected are the young ones who either get badly hurt maiming them for life or die leaving their family to grieve for them The displays are so real and authentic,planes had bullet holes and dents. We found a plane crashed into a snowy tree, another with a soldier standing on the wing, one wired in a muddy field, another has crash landed and pilot was being pulled out of the cock pit
We then went to the hotel to rest for the day early as we had a long distance to travel the next day
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