𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒏 | A Season of Salt & Stars

Picton—where New Zealand’s South Island begins. An old local once told me this town was originally called "Pig Town" for the wild boars roaming its hills. Whether myth or truth, today’s Picton bears no trace of wilderness—only mountains cradling a sapphire harbor. 🌊 Two Faces of Picton I arrived after a ferry ride from Wellington, expecting a brief stop... but stayed the entire summer. By day: A sleepy haven with just 4,000 residents. By cruise-ship season: A bustling gateway, suddenly flooded with global wanderers. ("Where will this tiny town fit them all?" we’d laugh, then rush to serve lattes and seafood chowder.*) ☕ My Summer at the Waterfront Café For months, I worked at a 30-year-old seaside café, where the espresso machine faced: 🌴 Palm trees swaying ⛰️ Misty peaks in the distance 🚢 Ferries gliding like toys on the Marlborough Sounds Strangers became fleeting neighbors—sharing sunburns, fish & chips, and the same salt-kissed breeze. 🌞 Endless Summer Days After shifts, I’d: Plunge into the harbor, still dripping in my uniform Nap on grass that smelled of thyme, watching light dance through pōhutukawa leaves Wander at 8 PM under pink-streaked skies, swinging so high on playground equipment I’d touch the clouds ✨ Nights of Magic When darkness finally fell (past 10 PM!), we’d: 🔮 Hunt glowworms—their blue radiance like fallen constellations 🌌 Lie in fields to watch the Milky Way (my first time seeing it arc across the sky) 🍻 Crowd into the Irish pub, where fiddles and stout fused into one hazy, golden memory A Letter to My 29-Year-Old Self "You left your cubicle for this—for sunburned shoulders, for stars tangled in your hair, for the way Picton’s wind carries both silence and sea shanties. You didn’t know a summer could hold so much joy." #PictonSummer #NZSeasons #WanderlustDiaries