Big Daddy

This is a 400 kilo mass of sea lion in it's natural habitat - sleeping on a beach during the day because it usually hunts at night.  However, it can manage a smart 26 kilometres per hour on the sand and it is generally advised that you don't get closer than 12 metres and certainly not between it and the sea!  You also don't turn your back on a big male like this who is just building up his energy for the breeding season.

Being of a prudent disposition, this is as close as we got.  There were five others further round this otherwise deserted beach which is only a few kilometres off the beaten track.  The same planet, but another world!

Dunedin and Otago

This was a day for the exploration of Dunedin.  Again a huge Scots influence with all the familiar names of Edinburgh streets laid out in totally the wrong order on contours which are more like San Francisco.

To the East is the Otago peninsula where there are a variety of threatened species such as this yellow eyed penguin which can be found on certain beaches.  He is reputed to be a bit antisocial and looks it!

The royal albatross is also a native to these parts, but was not at home when we called, which was a bit inconsiderate given the considerable pitching and rolling of the boat at the time.  The sedate sixties have now sampled the Roaring Forties!

Black Birds

We have partly retraced our steps and travelled southwards to the coast where we find large round rocks on the beach which are an interesting curiosity.  There are interesting birds everywhere and the Australasian Harrier is seen everywhere.  There is a White-backed Magpie which apparently is not a member of the crow family and therefore not related to our Magpie at all!

Beside the round rocks we found this little chap who is a Variable Oyster Catcher.  We should have anticipated that the NZ version of this species would be an All Black!

Mount Cook

This the MacKenzie country.  Cook was the explorer after whom the mountain was named; Mackenzie was a Scots shepherd who was looking for an inaccessible area where he could hide some stolen sheep and the landscape was named after him.

That was quite appropriate for the landscape is very Scottish in its form, but simply on a much larger scale and with different vegetation.  When the sun shines like today it is wonderful, but when it rains, I bet it's pretty dreich here too!

Akaroa

Akaroa is about 2 hours drive from Christchurch and is on the sea, in a situation which is very similar to that of many of the towns on the sea lochs of the Firth of Clyde.  It was originally founded about 1840 by French settlers whose legacy remains to this day to create a rather unique environment.

Christchurch

Somebody once said that Christchurch was more English than England, and having been founded by people from Canterbury, that is hardly surprising.  On the other hand, the number of Scottish names is really quite astonishing as well.  Not least of these is Riccarton, which is a major suburb of this, second largest, city in New Zealand.

However, it is a city without a centre, following the earthquakes of 18 months ago and the following after shocks.  Many of the old buildings have had to be demolished - so many in fact that some are still awaiting controlled destruction to complete the work started by nature.  The centre of the cut is in a state of regeneration which is probably not dissimilar to that undergone by many British cities after the destruction of the blitz.

So what you find for the moment is boutiques which are simply imaginatively gathered containers, painted in bright colours and customised to provide a marketplace for some of the displaced traders and the beginnings of a new focus for the community.

In the Air

We have lost track of time.  Having left Heathrow at 4pm and arriving in Los Angeles at 7pm as the sun set, 11 hours later, our bodies started to get confused.  Regular food from the airline as we left on the second leg of the trip simply compounded the problem.  How many meals can you have in a day?  Now we have crossed the date line and are due to land in Auckland in 2 hours as the sun comes up - but the relationship between the brain and the body is not perhaps as logical as we would like it to be.

In Transit

Why is it that being in Heathrow brings to mind the image of a bottling plant where all the bottles proceed at manic pace, one behind the other in a manner which is very efficient and lacks any humanity?  The airport seethes with humanity, but at the same time is a machine which grinds on remorselessly.

Everyone is going somewhere; they all come in to the centrifuge from different places and, if they are lucky, they and their luggage will be thrown out of the vortex into the correct plane going to the desired destination.  It is a monster - but quite useful as long as its in someone else's back yard.

We entered it's orbit and were slung out again in the direction of LA.  So far so good . .

Introduction

The Big Trip

Hopefully if there is enough regular wifi access, we will be able to maintain an account to allow anyone interested to follow progress.

The Map on the right gives an idea of the itinerary, starting from Christchurch.