We had a very early start to catch the ferry – alarms set for 5am which was a bit hard for Bruce, who is only a morning person when there is fishing involved. Nothing happens in our house though, without that first cup of tea, so we indulged in that and then took the boys out in the dark to have a pee. Once they had obliged, we were off – and we were not the only ones!
Predictably, the traffic into Wellington was light and we were greeted with the most beautiful pink sky when we arrived at the wharf – just like a pink carpet.
Bluebridge have a very slick operation and it wasn’t long before we were driving on to the Connemara.
This time we opted for a dog friendly cabin, and I was impressed with this also. We were individually greeted by a staff member who gave us a little pack including a dog bowl, some dog treats and a couple of bags. Hunter and Beau weren’t sure what to make of it at first but soon settled down to have a sleep on the bunk beds – actually pretty stress free for them. They had to navigate some steep metal steps there and back, but they handled it well – not like a black lab cross who had to be carried by its owner.
We were intending to catch up with my cousin Dee (and David), who live at Mapua, but unfortunately that was not to be – they were heading away on holiday themselves, so we decided to head straight for Kaikoura to try and avoid the worst of the weather. That proved to be a good move.
Kaikoura
This has always been one of my favourite places to visit, and the truck always veers left when we get to the seal colony. There were lots of babies this time, and Hunter and Beau were pretty keen on them. It was such a delight watching them frolic in their “training” pools.
We booked in to the NZMCA Park for three nights, to ride out the weather, which was not bad at all really. There were a few showers here and there but we were able to go for several walks and explore this rugged coastline. It is amazing how much of the sea bed was thrust upwards in just a 2 minute earthquake.
The wild life is diverse here. The area is known for dolphins, whales and all sorts of bird life. We came across a few Spoonbills on our walk which I had not seen here before.
Last night we went into town to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary – we both remembered this time. The blue cod was divine!
Tomorrow, we head off to the alpine area of Mount Lyford for at least one night.
Away From Home NZ 