On the road again, March 2020

Christchurch is bouncing back, slowly but surely. It was great to go out on the old tug boat and to see one of the recently visiting cruise ships in Lyttelton, after years of no ships after the quakes.

It was so good to get into my trusty KEN911, numberplate of my little mazda, to head south. It was great to get to Oamaru, about 3 hours' drive from Christchurch. I have never stopped there before but was impressed by the friendliness of everyone who I met. I had a great stay at The Old Bones Lodge, right by the sea.  What incredible early morning light over the waves, with the sea mist hovering just over the water, with the mist enshrouding the coastal roads on and off. 

Another visit to Oamaru is a must. This time I enjoyed the views of the town from the hills above, wondering what could possibly be virtually covering the jetty below.

What I thought might be dozens of statues turned out to be thousands of shags, cormorants, which evidently could not read the 'keep out' sign! Juveniles one end of the jetty,

And mature birds at the other end. The entire jetty had the highest density of shags imagineable. How fascinating watching them line up for take off at the edge of the jetty, like rows of soldiers leading the attack. It was mesmorising.

No penguins - neither slow nor fast!

The day just got better and better. I was so lucky that the sea mist interfered very little with my pleasure.

First stop The Lighthouse on the Moeraki Peninsula. What a sensational place, with the most spectacular scenery and incredible wildlife both in the water, on shore and in the air. Seals just everywhere on and around the peninsula. There were hundreds of them, young and adult, frolicking in the water and enjoying some of the larger waves. I watched one seal wait for a large wave to surf in, completing the award winning run with severalnsomersaults to express his/her delight!

It was so pretty in whatever direction you looked.

Next day, some drizzle and a bit windy, so not a day for exposed places. No problem here in the Catlins with its dense forests of towering native trees, and the lower canopy of ferns, providing nature's umbrellas .

The forest was a captivating show of amazing colours

patterns and textures. It was a fantastic day of short, sheltered walks.

Waterfalls, which last year seemed very unimpressive trickles of water, were simply gorgeous with so much water in them after recent floods.

Lunch at the Whistling Frog was delicious, and I loved this sign!

Exhausted now. Time for a rest.

Before settling for the night in our cabin at Newhaven, we had a refreshing walk on the beautiful sandy beach of Surat Bay. 

Not only is the scenery incredible, but so are the toilets! Not your run of the mill portaloos. 

We should do the same with all public toilets I reckon.

What a joy to spot two young sea lions racing towards the water, playing together before plunging into the estuary. Such playful, boisterous pups, but a need to keep a good distance.

Before leaving thenext day, we had a marvelous walk along this vast beach between the dunes and the sea. Every now and again we spotted a sea lion in the dunes, though you have to look carefully because they are well camouflaged. More young were heading to the sea, so we had to stay alert. I could have stayed all day, but we needed to move on. Still, all the more reason to comeback yet again!

Liz and I went on to Kaka Point and then on to Nugget Point. It doesn't matter how often you go there, the scenery and the many seals there just take your breath away!

We were so lucky with the weather.

We had a lovely day there and had a super Airbnb . 

They do go a little overboard with the signs there. I stopped to take a photo of this one, which was simply impossible to take in whilst driving! 


Next stop Wanaka. A short but wonderful stay in the unspoilt, uncrowded Catlins.