The Cold Wet South!

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Fri. 3rd.
Today is the75th anniversary of the earthquake so may be it's a good day to leave town. The scenery on the way to Wellington is mostly mundane, with the odd bit of interest. Unfortunately, we couldn't book any accommodation in the city bexcause the Rugby sevens are on and rooms are at a premium until next weekend. We would have loved to stay as the whole place is buzzing - supporters dressed in togas walked happily along with men in chinese clothes, complete with fake pigtails, and a heady mix of everything else in between. It was so funny seeing them walking together into the stadium. No rest for the wicked - so off we go on the ferry to Picton, to start our South Island adventure. The ship is modern, and the 3 hour crossing is as smoothe as a miill pond. By the time the decent scenery came into view, it was quite misty and dark. We must plan our return trip better. A minibus was waiting to take us to the "Villa" and we were given a nice room with a rubbish t.v. The place itself is sprawling, and has a large outside jacuzzi, but we weren't very keen on it. No atmosphere. After dinner we walked to the pub, and met a couple of weird locals - friendly enough, but...?

Sat. 4th.
Picton looks a lot better by daylidht, so maybe we'll change our mind about it when we return. We've booked a train journey from here to Kaikoura and we're told the scenery is fantastic, and can only be seen by rail. Well we've been there, done that, and we're still not impressed. Any day now we'll get deported for treason. The weather is good, though, and after a 10 min. walk from the station, we can find no fault whatsoever with our lodge, "The Lazy Shag", except perhaps for its strange name. We have a large room with an en suite, and there is a large decking area surrounding the bedrooms. We went out to the supermarket, and we're very impressed with this town. It used to be a little fishing village where they also hunted whales. When that was outlawed, they made a more profitable business by taking tourists out to see them and the dolphns, and the seals. It still retains the village feel, and the locals are genuinely nice.

Sun. %th.
It's a horrible, cold, rainy day and we are so disappointed that our whale-watch trip has been cancelled. The skipper tried to take the boat out early this morning but the sea was so rough that they cancelled the whole day's bookings. Very little to do in this weather, so off we go to see the seals on the rocks. Unfortunately, the rocks are 1 1/2 hours walk away, no buses, but it was well worth it. The seals were flopped everywhere, on the rocks, on the paths, under bushes and even one huge one, at the edge of the car park. It was a privilige to see them so close up, but you still get the idiots getting too close and disturbing their rest. The return journey is just as wet and then, joy of joy, the wood burning stove is roaring away back at the lodge, and so we thaw out. It can rain as much as it likes tonight but we're keeping our fingers crossed for a fine day tomorrow. It's our last chance to see the whales before leaving for Christchurch. Bet you're a lot happier, now that we're not basking in the sun!

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