Goodbye Kaikoura

---

When the bus pulled up in the familiar main street of Kaikoura a couple of weeks ago I was struck by how suddenly winter had fallen since I was away. The sky was a pale blue and the mountains were thickly powdered with snow. The air was so crisp and clear that I walked for an hour to the house with my rucksack rather than calling for a lift.

The weather here in winter is better in some ways than the summer. The weather is more stable, the winds are not so ridiculous and the days are still warm, but never unbearably hot. The nights get really cold though - darkness falls at 6.00 and temperatures plummet, forcing us indoors. The vegetable yield has dropped and the starving chickens are eating what's left, so we are forced to spend more on groceries and to be inventive with the mountain of butternut squash we have in dry storage.

I have been working a couple of days as a waiter/kitchen hand/receptionist at Hapuku Lodge, a very expensive hotel out of town (thanks to Leesa, the chef). I thought of staying here a while to earn a little bit of money, but the darkness and cold weather has got me longing for Australia again so I have decided to bring my flight forward... to next week! Max, K.d. and I will be going on a four day road trip around the South Island, and then I will fly from Christchurch on Tuesday. Out of New Zealand and into Darwin and the subtropical dry season, on my own again.

It has occurred to me that there is so much of Kaikoura life that I haven't really written about, so this entry is a collection of photos to show the small things that make up my everyday life here.
I have to give thanks again to Max and K.d. They have been great to let me stay here for so long and putting up with my erratic mood swings. Providing me with enough food to sustain my considerable appetite in return for some gardening work, looking after the cows, horse and chickens, and cooking dinner from time to time.

It is quite fitting that on a visit to the beach the other day to pick up some sawdust Max and I saw a group of Hector's dolphins chasing fish right by the shore. I hadn't seen Hectors in Kaikoura since my first day here.

---

Photos

Soup
Kd, Annie and Max, and an excellent homemade lunch.

Cows
One of our four Murray Greys, this one's called Dorian.

Concrete crafts
The front doorstep with fossil pattern. Work in progress.

Japanese garden and fernery
When I got here this was just a muddy field, right up to the back door.

Close Encounters
Max with seal pup

Comments

[Scott.]

All these photos on this blog are too green. Or blue. Find some other colours, Ben.