March 2 – After a good night’s rest in Te Anau, and a home cooked meal for Bronwen, who had been surviving on largely scroggins (New Zealish for Trail Mix), protein snacks, dehydrated strawberries, and MREs, we departed for Oamaru, on the Canterbury Coastline. Our route took us back through Dunedin. Driving through Otago and Canterbury, we have been reflecting on the similarity of the country-side with the Rockies Foothills of Alberta, and the BC’s Coastal Mountains.
We stopped for a bit of a stretch in Dunedin and explored in the Botanical Gardens. They featured a collection of evergreens in a large arboretum and a few aviaries showcasing local birds.
After our break in the Botanical Gardens it was time for a round of groceries, and tank of petrol and to resume our drive to Oamaru. We selected a AirBnB to stay in for three nights in the country outside of town. The space was in a sea container. We selected it to sample the small house experience. We think that we would like to do something similar, and likely build new, when we return home to British Columbia. The space was all we needed, but might be a bit of a stretch for full-time living. Clearly, there were not enough windows. We are learning the things we want in a home design. We also think the design would have been more efficient if it was shorter in length and was wider, while maintaining the same area. Having only 12 inches on either side of the bed to shimmy in and out was not ideal.
The outdoor space was amazing, and with a bit more furniture would have been all we wanted – ever. Our vision for a future home will incorporate a significantly large outdoor living space with some shade, comfy furniture and an outdoor kitchen – check in with us in a few years to see how we do.
Our farmstay was located a few kilometres from town and the farmers raised both cattle and sheep. They informed us that there were 500 cattle, and 1000 sheep on the farm. It was nice to wake to their noises as they cruised the fences in front of our deck. We were of great interest to the sheep who would come and gawk at us.
March 3 – Chores. Everybody has them, right? We spent a portion of the day attending to making some good meals, taking care of laundry and some travel planning. It takes time. Our normal, up to this adventure, was to spend a few days selecting airplane tickets, and building a path across the country peppered with hotel stays, activities, and a car rental. Constantly moving has meant we need to stop and adjust as we go. We spent a bit of time at the public library to use the internet connection, and research travel. Our visas are in place for Sri Lanka now, and it is time to get serious about figuring out what we are going to do when we head there in May.
The library in Oamaru is in the downtown. There are some beautiful sandstone buildings in the downtown area and was well worth the stroll around to see them.
March 4 – A sampling of the New Zealand Medical System. Bronwen needs to get a prescription for anti-malarial medication for Indonesia. We managed to get an appointment for the same day, to see a doctor in the central clinic. Cost for a 15 minute consultation – $95. Bronwen now has a New Zealand Health Services number too. (Brent only has a billing number in Tasmania!)
There is a large and ominous sign on the door to instruct those seeking medical attention for flu-like symptoms to go back to their cars and call Tele-Health. The Covid-19 preparations in New Zealand appear to be very good. There are only a few cases in Auckland, but community health is ready to manage this issue, should it become critical.
The doctor is on-time and provides a prescription and some travel advice for Bronwen. He gives us the push to consider that we may have to change our plans. Something to consider – but flights are booked now through to Istanbul…
Prescription – Mission accomplished. Now to the Chemist. The meds are not on the shelf, but can be ordered from Auckland and be ready for pick-up tomorrow morning after 10AM. Impressive.
Now we know where Geologist come from!!
We went to see the Moeraki Boulders in Hampden, just a short drive from Oamaru. These big rocks are just sitting there on the beach. Evidently buried in the muddy bank above the high tide mark, there are more boulders to be exposed. The stones have been studied since the coast was explored in the 1840s by the British. The concretions are hollow and a sort of like a big geode.
Our day continued to search for Little Blue Penguins and Yellow-Eyed Penguins. We went to South Hill to the Yellow-Eyed Penguin colony. The birds are presently moulting, so their activity rates are very low, and sightings are very infrequent. There was a good story-board about the activities (or lack-thereof) in the shelter for observing the birds. The Yellow-Eyed Penguins won’t come out of the water if they see people on the beach or nearby. The Department of Conservation has built nice “Duck-Blind” hiding spots for observers to watch the beach.
March 5 – Onwards to Hanmer Springs. Continuing to move north on the South Island we continued into the Mountains. Hanmer Springs is a tiny resort town situated near some hot springs. We took the day to get to Hanmer, and went for a walk in the forest. We had a quiet day.
March 6 – We made the most of our admission fees to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa and stayed for a few hours in the morning and went back in the evening. There are 22 different hot pools. Each has a special feature, either a water features, fountain, waterfall, therapy jets or bubblers. In addition there is a lane swimming pool, lazy river ride and a few waterslides. Hot water on a waterslide. Yes, 28C!!
It has been a number of years since we have gone watersliding. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and laughed hardily, squealing with delight at the drops. We *may* have been slightly over exactly at the weight limit for 2 people on a tube for the water slides. This meant we got excellent height and speed on the slides! A great day overall.
March 7 – We stayed in Kaikōura when we visited New Zealand in 2014. The area experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016. In the quake, ruptures ripped northwards at a speed of 2km/s, over a distance of about 200km, and Kaikōura, itself, moved 1 metre to the north. Movement was recorded on 25 different fault structures, some of which, were unknown prior to the event. The event is now extensively studied and is described as the single-most complex earthquake recorded.
After the earthquake, almost 4000 aftershocks had been reported. Repairs to the highway took a year to conclude, and KiwiRail has only restored train service this past December after extensive tunnel reconstruction. It was interesting to see the area, and how life has resumed normality, albeit after a lot of time. Geological excitement can be seen in many forms!
There is a pair of large breeding colonies of New Zealand Fur Seals in the Kaikōura area. We visited both. The site south of town is easily accessed by a short walk from a trailhead, and the other, north of town is alongside the highway with an observation platform and roadside pullout.
We were staying in Picton for the night before Bron headed out on her next long hike. Luckily – Brent checked the booking while picking up some groceries in Blenheim and discovered the hotel was actually located there (5 mins away). We would have been mad to have discovered it after having driven 30 mins further to Picton – fortunate catch!
Brent And Bron Abroad 