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New Zealand Day 2
Well here we are at the end of day 2- & what a ‘scenic’ day it has been. No, we weren’t lost, we were geographically challenged! Not by a huge amount & we were in the right direction, just took the ‘rural’ view.
The day started the same as yesterday- raining. But that was OK. We had thought we would head out to Akaroa & go on a dolphin cruise & in my mind I thought that if it was raining then the seas might be calm. So we called them up & they said ‘come on out’...& we did. Ray drove out of Christchurch for a little while & then decided it was time I ‘had a go’ at driving to get used to this home of ours. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to drive......but you must remember it is very high & wide & long- but that was all OK. It is a 5 speed diesel with air brakes, which come in very handy when you are going down the very steep roads they seem to like over here. The drive into Akaroa is actually around the rim
(& then into) a volcano....happily an extinct one. Luckily I was driving & had no problem with the very steep, windy roads that have never heard of guard rails......Ray was on that side & I never had time to look! He did very well taking photos as we drove along....had a bit of a thing for the low cloud over the mountains- thought we probably had enough by the time he took 60 shots....only joking, it was 45!
We made it in plenty of time for the 12-45pm cruise. Bought our tickets, went ‘home’ & had lunch & then wandered back to the jetty to join the other 7 passengers, 2 crew- sorry 3 crew if you include the dog...a little Aussie terrier cross that has been on the boat all its life & can alert you to a pod of dolphins by his barking from time to time. We were looking for the endangered ‘Hectors’ dolphins and are an endangered species. If I can remember what he said, there aren’t too many more than 7000 in the wild & over 1000 are in this area. They are very shy & don’t go down for as long as our bottlenose
dolphins. They are also much smaller- possibly 5’ long at the most....you just want to pick them up & take them home! We were also looking for penguins, seals, cormorants, fur seals & anything else that moved.
Our first encounter was with a small group of ‘Little Blue Penguins’.....not a common event apparently. They are very small & you need to be very quick to see & photograph them. We also saw cormorants (can see them at home) a native duck that mates for life- the male has a white head (showing off as usual) & she is rather plain (how unusual). Then we were nearly out to the end of the Akaroa Harbour & into the open seas (thank god for sea sick medication) we came across a pod of 6 Hectors dolphins......oh they were sooo cute & I was soooo excited- thank god the lens is auto focus! They played around the boat for some time then all but one of them left us. It stayed for quite awhile longer, before the guides decided it was time to move on- out into the Pacific Ocean....nearly shat myself thinking it would be so rough that no amount of drugs
would save me. But, God (or someone) was on our side & whilst there was a bit of a lump & a bump, on the scheme of things it wasn’t too bad. We then found a colony of fur seals with the full gamut of age ranges- gorgeous pups, youngsters, mums & dads. They were also pretty cute, but quite dis interested in what we wee doing.
We stayed awhile & then headed back to Arkarou wharf. It was a fabulous day & whilst the weather wasn’t bright & sunny, there is something to be said for the mist rolling down the mountains & the colours of autumn. I must say the Ray also thought it was a fabulous day & wasn’t troubled by our sea adventure (he is stepping out isn’t he!). I never bought a cap ($24) & they weren’t in pink! What is the matter with these kiwis- everything is black & white. Looked at some t shirts for the little people, but they are rather expensive as well. Oh well- still a couple of days to go, so I’m sure we will find something to buy. I did get 2 pr of studs (one pink &
one blue) made from Paua shells, so all was not lost.
Speaking of lost.............I thought it would be easier to take the ‘short cut’ back to highway 1 & Ashburton for an overnight stay....shame that the bloody atlas’s don’t show minor roads...........more to the point, if they had a couple of road signs saying ‘Timbuktu 15kms’, that would have helped! Nothing......& I do mean nothing.........so we headed west, thinking that eventually we should ‘happen’ across highway 1. Well we nearly did it- about 200m shy of the highway we turned at a roundabout & asked a lovely lady. Turns out we were somewhat north of where I had hoped to come out, but at least we weren’t back in Christchurch- that’s a good thing.
So tonight we are safely tucked up in Ashburton & I have found the modern marvels of a washing machine (thanks Suzy) & drier, & we have had another lovely home cooked meal. Tomorrow- well, I have read that this is supposed to be a very good fishing spot, or at least not far from a good fishing spot. So, before we head into Lake Takapo, I might have a look at the local art galleries
(I NEED to buy a possum merino whatever...the thought of wearing possum is quite alluring)............might not find that here, but I’m sure we will find something to look at & find out how much it would be to go fly fishing- the poor bugger will earn every cent I can assure you as I have never been fly fishing before, but that is what this trip is for- getting out of your comfort zone!
On that note, we will sign off- Ray has finished the dishes, so it is safe to finish my computer business- will add a few photos from today. Hope you are all fit & well, love to all
Ray & Terri
xoxoxoox
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Trish
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Great photos Terri ... and I particularly love the ones of clouds over the mountains (well, you can tell Ray I do, lol). Ummm ... what the hell is "possum merino" whatever-it-was??? That's too weird. Fancy wearing a small furry creature on you head. Now, if they came in pink, I could totally see you wearing it!!! Can't wait for tomorrow's blog. xxx