Day 34 - Kaikoura to Anakiwa

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Sunday 22nd December, 2013. Kaikoura to Anakiwa


We left the YH and continued travelling north on the highway 1. The weather was iffy again. First stop was the Ohau Seal Colony. Here there was a fabulous viewing platform where there was lots of information on the seals. You could also get quite a lot closer to the beasts than was possible yesterday (if we had known we wouldn't have bothered with the marathon excursion and leaping over crevasses!).

The NZ Fur Seal differs from the NZ Sea Lion in that it has a pointed nose and long whiskers, they are also much smaller than the sea-lions and like rocky coastlines where the sea-lions like sandy beaches. We have only just realised they are different critters!

Fur Seals are superb swimmers and have been know to cross the Tasman Sea to Australia. They have two layers of fur, an inner layer which acts like thermal underwear, and an outer, longer haired layer for protection. They take frequent dips in the sea to prevent overheating when they are basking on the rocks. They can dive to depths in excess of 250 metres and can stay underwater for up to 10 minutes. Most of the time they don't bother prefering to stay underwater for only a few minutes. Their nostrils close tightly when underwater and their whiskers are very sensitive, acting
like antennae to feel for the fish and small sea creatures on which they feed. They have large eyes designed for hunting in low light conditions. We are here in the middle of the breeding season so there were plenty of seals around.

Fur seals have been protected since 1894 with limited hunting seasons until 1946 when a permanent ban was introduced. The current population is estimated to be about 100,00 but there would have been more than 100 million before hunting began in teh 1700's. So the population still has a long way to go yet.

We continued the drive north and the weather improved slightly. We crossed the Awatere River where there is an old historic bridge. This was a two-level road/rail bridge, completed in 1903. The railway uses the top level, road traffic uses the single-lane lower level. A new road bridge has now been built (the one we crossed) to the west of the old one, but the old bridge continues to carry the railway. The lower level which used to carry the road traffic is now totally overgrown. Still it was worth a look. We took some more snaps.

Next was our target for the day The Cloudy Bay Vineyard. This wine was a favourite of our friend Dorothy who sadly passed away earlier this year. We went to the cellar and raised a glass to her and her son Lewis, who was a good friend of M's before he died suddenly of a heart attack a few years ago. We tasted a few wines and purchased a couple of bottles to have at Christmas. Then we went into the grounds and strolled around in the sunshine. We continued our drive through the vines taking lots of pictures, but not stopping for any more tastings. We continued on to our destination which was Anikiwa which is the start (or end depending on the direction you go) of the Queen Charlotte Track, which is another on M's bucket list.

Our accommodation was wonderful and we arranged to be dropped off by boat to walk the track tomorrow. A successful travelling day all in all we both felt. We had arrived supplied with booze and food as the nearest supermarket was 21 kilometres away!

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