NZ Day 13 & 14

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NZ day 13 & 14.
Day 13 saw us leave Kaikoura, but not before going to have a look at the seal colony/ies....& they are free, unlike the whale watching! Yep- still smarting over that one. Anyway, ‘old’ Raymond has succumbed to an old knee injury- it hurts, is swollen & he can hardly walk on it......I’m thinking it is just an excuse so he doesn’t have to go on any more ‘forced marches’. So, I had to tough it out & head up to the lookout & seal colonies on my own . He sat in our home reading the paper.
The view was spectacular, as is the view around nearly every corner. I didn’t bother walking down the cliff to the beach to see the seals up close & personal, as I had stopped to talk to a couple that came from Sydney & time was moving on- thought Raymond might worry about me. The couple from Sydney had landed the night before, grabbed their van & headed to a spot the agent had told them about. The poor buggers got bogged- the track they were on was obviously not the right one & when he went to turn around just prior to a very suss looking bridge, down he went! Luckily a farmer came along & assured them they weren’t the first to get bogged there. Anyway, they have been here before & in their younger days, trekked the 3 day Milford Sound. On the way they came across o Kiwi who was on his 7th trek, but because the weather is so changeable, he had never seen the view into the sound- he did this time. Can you imagine, trekking for 3 days, carrying all your own stuff & not showering (eeww), & it took 7 times before he saw the sound!!!! Dedication or stupidity- not sure, leave that one to you to figure out.
So, off north to Blenheim we headed. There was a surf beach on the way, so stopped to take some happy snaps- dead set, Aussies wouldn’t get out of bed for what they were trying to surf on- pitiful! A little further on & we pulled up at a seafood roadside van- & I do mean van on the side of the road. I have been desperate to eat some crayfish since arriving in Kaikoura, but at $120/kg, even I baulk at that! Bloody hell- I know it tastes great, but they were selling little baby crays, who should still be at home with their mothers, for a minimum of $45 plus. In the end, I just couldn’t justify that amount of money- even though I know it would have tasted wonderful. Oh- diesel in Kaikoura was $168.9/l & u/l was $225.4..............makes you glad you are driving a diesel.
On the way we came across several other seal colonies & stopped at a couple. We have a ‘thingy/gizmo’ (that is the technical term) called ‘tourism radio’. It is a satellite GPS device that you stick on your window & then tune into a FM radio station. As you drive along, it tracks where you are & then tells you what tourist attractions you are approaching & their top picks of accommodation or eating etc if it is a larger town. It is very handy & allows you to prepare to slow down & stop if you wish. Whilst it is not giving out tourist advice, it plays easy listening music....that would be music that I know the words to & can add my joyful voice to enhance- yeah riiiight!
So once again we left the coast & headed into Blenheim in the heart of the Marlborough wine growing region, where wineries abound. Do you want to know that we have NOT, once, stopped at a winery! Can you believe that??? I can’t! That doesn’t mean that we haven’t sampled any of the local produce....I am steadily working my way through the Merlot’s that I can find- they don’t have a lot of local Shiraz, so have had to extend my palate to something different. Raymond is sampling the local beer (& you never thought you would see that eh) & a few of the whites. I found one of my favourite reds- a Pepperjack Shiraz for less than $17, shelf price.....I can’t buy it at home for under$22 unles it is on special. The same thing goes in reverse tho- cheese that is made here is cheaper in Australia...go figure. Actually most things are cheaper in Australia. One of the checkout chicks was talking to us about the cost of living here as she is thinking about moving ‘across the ditch’ as they say.
Because Raymonds knee was so painful, he had to revert to navigator & I had to revert/resume driving......not ggo that.....Raymond navigating I mean, not my driving...I’m a great driver (drove Mum up the wall for years!). Anyway, we are approaching Blenheim & trying to find the park......stone the bloody crows- you wouldn’t think it was that difficult, but hey, Raymond can make it so. I had to stop more than once to navigate myself......just as well we women are damned good at multi tasking I tell you. So, eventually we find the park & a rather helpul gentleman, who finds it impossible to look at, & speak to a woman if a man is present........gggrrrrrrr- he is the second very obvious MCP that I have encountered. This morning, before we left, I went in & asked him some questions, which he was quite happily answering. Then Ray walked in & he said ‘are you together’ to which we responded ‘yes’ ( that may change if his knee doesn’t get better😉 ).......so this bloke stops looking at & talking to me & talks to Ray! Shit me, you just want to smack blokes like that!
All that aside, he told us of a nice little pub across the road where we could have tea...the food was quite acceptable, but loads too many chips. The weather turned foul over night. It poured with rain & be buggered if I could tell if the train was passing behind us or if it was thunder......mostly it was thunder! I did think there was going to be a moment (or ten) where I would have to s.... myself because the storm was getting so bad- yep, had lightening too! The whole kit & caboodle! Thing was, I wasn’t sleeping to well because my bed mate was tossing and turning & rolling around like a fart in a fish bowl! How the hell are you supposed to sleep with that? So this morning, one was somewhat ‘sleep deprived’ with a temper to match. Add to that, he certainly would not be able to drive, so that was up to me & it was still p...... down with rain. Aaaahhhh shit- there is something to be said for being in drought!
So after Rays consultaion with the park owner, it was decided that we wouldn’t take the loooong road up the valley (decipher that as straight road), but would instead take the shorter, more scenic route (read windy/hilly....oh that’s right- were in NZ & they don’t do open flat roads). So after heading off in the wrong direction (can’t blame that one on the navigator unfortunately), we found the right way out of town, towards the mountains.....& the rain. It drizzled, it poured, the sun shone- well that might be an exaggeration & on & on we went. The water was all across our side of the road more than once, there were minor landslides (had to drive around on the other lane) & I generally shit myself more than once, BUT being the strong Northcott women that I am, I soldiered on! No option really- Raymond can’t drive. Oh, did I mention the reason why we were heading into the abyss? Ray’s grandmother & great grandfather (& family) lived in a town called Upper Mouterie, west of Nelson (in the boondocks). So, my sense of humour was not at its best, I mean, really – there were no jewellery shops or clothing of patchwork shops, just family history. But, being the good wife that I am, & this is OUR holiday....I soldiered on- driving & intermittently navigating. Well, eventually we arrived at Upper Mouterie- where Ray’s great grandfather was one of the early German ministers with the Lutheran church. Whilst the current location is not the original, we did find a pamphlet on the history of the church, which, by the way, was open & we could go in (a little way) & I did get a couple of photos.....we also tried to find the original church site, but were not successful. We had lunch beside the church, toured the town (took 2 minutes....well maybe 5). Rays grandmother lived here for several years as a teenager & then returned to Aust. The countryside & the temperature is not unlike Eudunda, where they eventually settled.....although the hills are a lot bigger over here.
So, back to Nelson (the second largest city in the south) & another park. Time for washing & then left Ray to the drying (cause he still can’t walk) & I went off for a walk on the beach. It got quite cold & was quite windy, but rather pretty. I spoke to a Scottish lady who has lived in NZ for over 20 yrs I think- started in Auckland (too hot), went to Dunedin (too cold) & has been here for over 10 years (just right). She agreed that the ever changing, rather wild weather they are experiencing at the moment is not normal....doesn’t help me much.
Tomorrow should see us head back to Picton, although, strangely enough, the weather forecast isn’t real flash, & we will probably change our ferry crossing to a few days earlier. Having said that, the weather doesn’t look good, so we may have to wait for a ‘calm between the storms’ when we pick the date to sail.
Hope you are all fit & well (& that the weather is good)......& hope that we find our way safely back to Picton. Lots of love to all
Ray & Terri xoxoxoxo

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Comments

[christine fiebig]

Looks amazing
Thanks for this link. Your holiday looks amazing. Not too sure about wearing a poncho with possum fur..........I guess it has been cold enough for you to wear. Glad all is going well......no doubt you will not be wanting to come back to work . Take care x

[rayandterristravels]

New Zealand
Hey Christine- yep, loving it here. They keep telling us that the weather they are having at the moment is SO unusual! It rains one minute, blows like a bath plug the next & if you are lucky, the sun shines soon after! Can't believe it- nor can the locals. One of the shop keepers said that they normally take off the last hals of April & all of May, as the weather in Autumn is so lovely- sun shining every day & calm....they go boating around the top of the sth island etc. He is still waiting to take his holiday as the weather has been tragic! Ah well, can't help bad luck. Are off to the nth island tomorrow, so will update the blog later today. Certainly NOT interested in going back to work:( Bye