It seems worth mentioning, to me at least, that I’m post-dating these … posts. Rather than doing a day-by-day, like I’ve done for past trips, I’m trying a thing where I do a post for each place, and set it to publish on the day I left the place.
That said, I’m also kind of behind.

Finding the Tombstone Backpackers was ridiculously easy, as it’s on the hill right above the Bluebridge Ferries depot. (having walked off the ferry, they then had us board a bus for the 2-300m trip to the depot, where I was, eventually, reunited with my bag.

Also, this is why it’s the Tombstone on Gravesend Place; The cemetery.

The Tombstone has an older & more eclectic bit, where the lounge and kitchen and so on are, and a newer accommodation bit, which … reminded me a bit of an office building. There’s nothing wrong with it, or with my room, it just lacked character.
I mean, someone tried their best with the decorations, in what I’m assuming is a homage to Demolition Man.

The view from the balcony outside was pretty good, if you like bush-clad hills, port infrastructure, and looking right up a ferry’s freckle.

So, Picton?
It’s small. You can see, and hear, the ferry terminal(s) from pretty much the whole town.
It’s ringed by hills, which is quite pretty, though difficult to capture with a cellphone camera.

I spent the first morning sleeping in, because I wanted to and nobody could stop me.
My diary notes say “Slept In A Lot” – Make of that what you will. I do recall finding breakfast at around lunchtime.
Part of that sleeping in may have been because I woke up at 4am, downloaded the most recent episode of Game of Thrones on my phone, working on the theory that a 4am hit on the hostel internet connection was unlikely to inconvenience too many people, then watched said episode.

Come to think of it, that may be closer to “Went back to sleep at dawn” than “Slept in”.

There’s not a huge amount to note about day one, other than that I was chosen by the hostel cat.

It was made clear that moving outside onto the balcony to read was unacceptable, even if the cat had moved from my lap of their own free will, because I could have been providing petting-on-demand while I was indoors, but outdoors I would be too far away. Steps were taken to rectify the situation.

Day two was bit dark and foreboding, which did make the hills look all misty & interesting.

I’d seen most of Picton by this point, or at least all of the bits which didn’t require tramping, which seemed … risky, given the weather, so I went to the movies & saw Captain America: Civil War.

1. The movie theatre in Picton is part of the Aquarium.
   You buy your ticket from the same desk as you’d get an aquarium ticket.
2. To get to the theatre, they take you through a side door, past the tanks-o-fish, and into a room which holds maybe 30 people?
   It’s got tiered seating, and beanbags, which is a nice option.
3. There was nobody else there, and they showed me in & just left me to it, so I rearranged the beanbags to my own specifications.
4. At the end of the film (which I enjoyed, though it’s more of an Avengers-lite film than a Captain America film, I think), I have a moment of wondering “What happens now?”.
   There’d been no mention of coming to escort me out, but also no mention of where the exit was, so I stuck my head out of the door & followed some signs which led me to an (unlocked) side door.
   I suspect I could just as easily have wandered the other way, back through & around the Aquarium, and looked at the fishies.

Rain eventually started, and heralded the return of the hostel cat, who was wandering across the roof, saw me, came over, and demanded to be let in.
And dried.
And to be provided with a warm lap for a few hours, while a storm came straight up Queen Charlotte Sound & into the windows of my room.

The cat was eventually ejected, or at least encouraged to go find dinner, after dark, due to suspiciously proto-chundering noises.
They could have been sneezes, I suppose, but I was not prepared to take the risk of having to launder the blanket. Or my computer.

And it rained all night, as the song goes, or at least until I fell asleep. Was quite glad of the covered area between the block where my room was, and the block where the kitchen, and more importantly the kettle, lived.
The cat was also there, and spurned me, as is only fitting.

Next day, I was able to stash my pack at the i-Site, where they had huge lockers for itty-bitty prices, and took a wander around a suddenly bright & blue-skied town for a few hours, until my bus to Nelson arrived.