Jamie: The Mail Boat Cruise

Let me take you to this little, little town called Picton, which is one of my favorite places on Earth.

It is in the Marlborough region of South Island, New Zealand.

To get there, take one of the inter-island ferries that crosses the Cook Strait from Wellington, North Island to Picton, South Island.

We, including our rented car, took the Interislander ferry while the sun was still rising.

The travel time was 3 hours.. But with the scenery of the Cook Strait, 3 hours was way too short.

That's one of the views.. no, not me. Behind me! Haha!

The beauty of New Zealand is that.. What you see in the photos, is what you will get in reality.

Or reality may even be more beautiful.

Their blue waters are just unbelievably blue.. green blue.. blue green.. just amazing!

So what did we do at Picton?

The Mail Boat Cruise! And I really loved it!!

What is the Mail Boat Cruise?

You see the map on the left? That's where Picton is.

Notice that the shape of the land is like a few jagged combs...

Lots of people live along those bays and coves!

Well, maybe not really a lot.. but let's say around 1 or 2 couples per bay or cove.

And then there are a few resorts there as well.. very very few. And of course, tourists. And hikers.

The mail boat is actually just a "postman" that delivers mails and freight by boat.

Most of these bays and coves are inaccessible by land, and so the Royal New Zealand Post reaches out to these happy dwellers by water.

Aside from delivering mails and groceries, the mail boat also collects the residents' garbage and mail packages; and pick up or drop off hikers along the nature trails, and tourists at the resorts.

Fortunately, they have made this daily delivery and collection of goods as a tourist attraction.

So, the mail captain will no longer be lonely everyday!

He goes around the most beautiful and remote bays with an entourage of tourists who are relaxing and enjoying the views, and watching life as it happens in paradise.

All the inhabited bays have a pier, and the residents usually have pets.

Dogs, Pigs and Goats.

These contented people are usually at the pier waiting, with all their stuff ready.

And then, they exchange goods with the mail captain.

The boat has a different route everyday, and these people know their scheduled mail day.

But that's not all.

The mail boat also remembers that tourists, are tourists.

And so, for a few minutes, it would drop the tourists off at the historic Ship Cove to explore the beach a little.

Captain Cook has a memorial here as this is where he used to anchor his ship The Endeavor.

Not that I'm a fan of history.. but well, it's here for people to see.

The cruise departs at 1:30 PM everyday, except on Sundays.

It takes around 4 to 5 hours, depending on the number of errands on that day.

The mail boat cruise is one of my most favorite travel experiences.

I find it really unique. Or maybe, I'm just too deprived in the city.

I loved witnessing the reality of how the local people chose to live...

As well as appreciating what made them choose to live there.

Most of them at the bays are retirees who preferred the comfort of privacy and seclusion, matched with fresh air, nature walks, beautiful beaches and hills. And they all have boats.