In Pursuit of Penguins

  Wednesday   Set out for a hike in the nearby Herbert Forest to look at some of the ancient trees. See photo for  more info! It was an uphill climb through some of the loveliest forest… the bird song was beautiful in the mixed woodland but when we got into the thick pines it was eerily quiet. Paul was taunted by a fantail along the way as he tried to take a photo. I have every respect for those people who wait forever to get their shot of wildlife. It was a hike with many options and loops. There were steep drops down to streams and rivers far below. We crossed the rivers using stepping stones and although a bit tricky at times we got across without incident. After a couple of hours, having chosen to join another loop we were confronted with a crossing that used a rope… a step too far for me..didn’t feel like playing Tarzan and had grave doubts that I’d make it across.  Discretion being the better part of valour, we found another route back! It’s overwhelming to ...

  Tuesday Last night the stars were mesmerising in the blue black sky…they seemed so close. We couldn’t take our eyes off them. It’s totally dark here - no light pollution.  First night camping was a success; the tent was still up and we’d slept until nearly 8 o’clock.  Such a beautiful morning. We’d planned a morning hike, but the plan went by the wayside! We read and watched the river and had time just to be still and soak up the peace of this place.  Went into town for a wander…  it was so quiet. A long high street with all sorts, from charity shops to a department store, library, court house etc. there is a Victorian quarter with buildings made from the local limestone. Here there are museums, gift and craft shops. Everything shuts at around 4pm!  Bought some provisions and tucked them away in the camp fridge.  This evening we went to look for penguins… and  we were lucky enough to see many little blue penguins. They hurtled toward...

 Getting usable internet access is proving to be a challenge. I’m going to post the words for now and add pictures when I can.  Monday Well the rain continued throughout the night so we’re glad we postponed our camping. Looked at the weather map this morning and decided to head south to Oamaru where sunshine is forecast for the next couple of days.  We took the scenic route to Geraldine which is about halfway. The scenery was indeed spectacular  it looked as though some of the rain fell as snow on the mountains. We passed wide open agricultural land some livestock and some arable and in the background the mountains loomed large. Most of the livestock is cattle though we saw some sheep, deer and black alpacas.  We stopped to walk and take photos of the river Rakaia at Windwhistle… the colour of the water is so intense.  Stopped to picnic before hitting SH1 to finish the journey to Herbert where we’ll be camping for 4 nights.  The campsite is quite empty...

Sunday Packed the car with boots and waterproofs  Headed to New Brighton beach for a walk along the sands. Such a beautiful fresh morning. The ocean was lolling about just making enough waves for some novice surfers. We walked out to the end of the pier and watched the surfing.  No sign of rain… it was really warm too. We thought while it’s nice we’d go to the Botanical gardens in Christchurch. So loved the flower gardens, the rose garden was a delight. The botanical gardens are part of a larger park…Hagley Park which is a huge area open to all with many sports pitches, bike routes and walking paths.  Had some lunch … my frittata was like a savoury egg custard …very strange but the salad was amazing. Paul fared better with a falafel wrap and a side of fries.  Still no rain so we thought we’d look at Christhurch …it was a good day to go as it was the world busking festival. We were treated to many street shows as we wandered about. There was a good...

  Saturday Transit day… Returned the car and got a lift to the airport. Successfully checked ourselves and our bags in independently … first time this trip as there has been a hitch every time up until today!  Had a coffee and caught up with loads of correspondence. Air New Zealand took us safely to Christchurch where we picked up another hire car … an older Subaru legacy…suits the retro vibe of this escapade. The assistant said she’d taken photos of the damage … would’ve taken up a whole reel in the old days!, . Still it goes well with its 270,000 kms on the clock.  Went to the outdoor shop and bought a tent, then to Kmart for the rest of the kit… a grand layout of 400 NZ dollars roughly £200.  Looked at the weather forecast and promptly booked another night at the Motel in Christchurch as thunderstorms and torrential rain are forecast for Sunday! Not an auspicious start to the camping. Revised our itinerary for the coming week to capitalise on the sunnie...