30.13, 30.14 & 30.15 Picton, NZ: The Snout Track and Tirohanga Trail (twice) plus odds and ends.
On the Snout Trail, a beautiful view of Queen Charlotte Sound but effected by facing into the sun. A less hostile sun, a better result. We crossed the Cook Strait from Wellington, the capital, to Picton, a small city (town) in the South Island of New Zealand. It was bumpier than our past crossings but nevertheless, revealed some wonderful additional sights. The country has an amazing array of natural beauty. It reminds us of Hawaii which is not too surprising as the country and state are in similar regions. The country is far superior though. Speaking from a purely personal view, New Zealand has everything but four things that can be found in Hawaii. They are in no particular order of importance: Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Haleakala and a warmer and consistent climate. Should you be able to do without those, then skip Hawaii. Some might say the largesse from the Federal government of the USA would be a fifth element. The hikes in the region were on the short-side but with stee...