Monday morning dawned very early for us. Our sailing back to Picton was at 8am but we had to be on the wharf by 7am. Quite an early start for those of us accustomed to a more leisurely start to the day. We had readied ourselves the night before for departure from Petone so it was just a matter of clambering out of bed, dressing and heading off to the ferry terminal. Once there we were able to have breakfast while we waited to be loaded onto the ferry.
Once again we were a little anxious to the conditions in the strait. We had been so lucky back in June, when it had been some calm. Well we were blessed again. The strong winds and southerly swell that we had witnessed the day before had dropped and once again it was like a 'mill pond.' Unless we went out on deck for a look we weren't aware of being out in the strait as opposed to being in the harbour or the sounds. It was also good to have some sun on our backs.
We spent the night in Blenheim, this time in at the Racecourse, where they allow NZMCA members to stay for a small cost. It was a lovely quiet spot with the golf course on one side and the race track on the other. The horses being exercising provided our entertainment on Tuesday morning before we headed down the road to Kaikoura. While in Blenheim we visited some family friends, and one of my Mum's cousin. They were pleased to see us, and to hear the news of our travels.
On the way to Kaikoura we stopped off at Ohau Point to see the baby seals' nursery. We were a little disappointed to find only two in the pool below the waterfall though there were dozens out sunning themselves on the rocks by the sea. If you look closely at the two photos below there are two baby seals to be seen!!!
We spent three nights in Kaikoura. The weather was sunny, the seas calm and the vistas amazing.
We caught up with some Invercargill friends, enjoying an evening meal with them, before Doug and Tracey arrived from Christchurch later in the evening. Chiefie is a long time fisherman, and Kaikoura provides him with plenty of opportunities. He has several cray pots out in the water in front of his house, so the next morning Doug and Stephen joined him on a trip out to lift and check them. The upshot was that he gave us three to take away. We were camped at South Bay, so we took them back there, cooked them up and sat on the beach to enjoy a great 'kiwi' lunch.
Doug and Tracey headed off north, later in the afternoon, on their 'long weekend' break and we went for a walk along the Peninsula track before orgainsing ourselves to be able to head further south in the morning. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kaikoura. It almost felt like being 'home' after being in the North Island. It is hard to explain, but even the topography here feels like a comfy blanket.
Next stop is Christchurch, before we head back through Geraldine and down to Clyde.
Once again we were a little anxious to the conditions in the strait. We had been so lucky back in June, when it had been some calm. Well we were blessed again. The strong winds and southerly swell that we had witnessed the day before had dropped and once again it was like a 'mill pond.' Unless we went out on deck for a look we weren't aware of being out in the strait as opposed to being in the harbour or the sounds. It was also good to have some sun on our backs.
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| Leaving Wellington. Note the calm sea and the point in the distance where we had had lunch on Sunday. |
We spent the night in Blenheim, this time in at the Racecourse, where they allow NZMCA members to stay for a small cost. It was a lovely quiet spot with the golf course on one side and the race track on the other. The horses being exercising provided our entertainment on Tuesday morning before we headed down the road to Kaikoura. While in Blenheim we visited some family friends, and one of my Mum's cousin. They were pleased to see us, and to hear the news of our travels.
On the way to Kaikoura we stopped off at Ohau Point to see the baby seals' nursery. We were a little disappointed to find only two in the pool below the waterfall though there were dozens out sunning themselves on the rocks by the sea. If you look closely at the two photos below there are two baby seals to be seen!!!
We spent three nights in Kaikoura. The weather was sunny, the seas calm and the vistas amazing.
We caught up with some Invercargill friends, enjoying an evening meal with them, before Doug and Tracey arrived from Christchurch later in the evening. Chiefie is a long time fisherman, and Kaikoura provides him with plenty of opportunities. He has several cray pots out in the water in front of his house, so the next morning Doug and Stephen joined him on a trip out to lift and check them. The upshot was that he gave us three to take away. We were camped at South Bay, so we took them back there, cooked them up and sat on the beach to enjoy a great 'kiwi' lunch.
Doug and Tracey headed off north, later in the afternoon, on their 'long weekend' break and we went for a walk along the Peninsula track before orgainsing ourselves to be able to head further south in the morning. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kaikoura. It almost felt like being 'home' after being in the North Island. It is hard to explain, but even the topography here feels like a comfy blanket.
Next stop is Christchurch, before we head back through Geraldine and down to Clyde.
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