Today we went on a beautiful walk. To get to it we travelled along past Larnach Castle and down Sandymount Road . This turned into a gravel road and eventually after many bends and steep hilly bits we came to a junction. Not sure which way to go we turned left and came to a huge tidal inlet/ marshy area called Hoopers Inlet. The tide was out and there were loads of birds to see. We were spoilt for choice! Pukeko birds, spoonbills, shags/cormorant, herons,ducks, birds of prey, plovers even a kingfisher and sheep everywhere. We took many pics with our long lenses. We realised we were not too far from Portobello and so had a coffee break there.

 

We returned to find ….yes more wader birds and then retraced our steps back to Sandymount/ pikiwhara.

You park your car near the top of the steep gravel road hill and there is a circular walk

 

. It was so lovely with fantastic views 360 around the top. We got to the “chasm” and then to “lovers leap” fairly easily and decided to continue round rather than go back the way we had come… …….big mistake! We ended up climbing up a steep steep path that twisted and turned and began to be more of a sand dune. I had to pull myself up using the long grasses at times as it was very steep. We would just think we were at the top when the path would turn and it would still go up. Needless to say we are here to tell the tale! When we got to the top we looked down on where the car was parked and so had to descend again. If we had climbed another 100 feet there was a trig point for the highest part. We just hadn’t got the energy I’m afraid.😜

So we went back near our hotel and had lunch in a garden centre. They often are good places to get a lunch or meal and nit too expensive but healthy fresh food.

In the afternoon we travelled along the Southern scenic route to Brighton beach where we relaxed and watched the surfers and I had a fruit boysenberry icecream

 

we had a lovely tiring day today and so enjoyable..

We moved to the Caitlin’s tomorrow. We couldn’t find a motel or b&b so we are staying in Inverscarvill and travelling into the Caitlin’s each day.

More tomorrow xxxx

Today we went into Dunedin to the Victorian Train station, the Otago Settlers Museum and the Chinese Garden. They were 3 interesting buildings and the settlers museum was amazing with all the information and exhibits and video footage. We then went to Port Chalmers for our lunch. The weather was improving and getting warmer. We travelled to the Mole to see the sea lions and walked right along the long white sandy beach nearby

 

We

We sat for a long time sunbathing and watching the surf

Blog is a bit short today but pleased to say we walked along way in town and along the Mole and along sandy beaches and in sanddunes. All this sunshine and fresh air is doing me good. xxx

Look

Look at the contrast between Saturdays and yesterday (Sundays) weather!

Well today is Monday and it has stayed dry all day. we have sunshine but a bitter wind blowing straight from Antarctica…

We went along the road high above Dunedin to take the views we missed yesterday due to the rain.

Then we headed to the other side of the bay to Port Chalmers. this is the view from Scotts memorial tower above the town.

 

 

At the end of the road opposite to the Albatross Centre we walked along the port man made protective embankment. We saw fur seals, arctic terns and a penguin! I noticed the terns dive bombing what I thought was a big fish but on closer looking it was a blue eyed penguin. it moved very fast and was very difficult to photograph

At the end of the road opposite to the Albatross Centre we walked along the port man made protective embankment. We saw fur seals, arctic terns and a penguin! I noticed the terns dive bombing what I thought was a big fish but on closer looking it was a blue eyed penguin. it moved very fast and was very difficult to photograph

 

After this we went to Long beach. It was a huge strip of sandy beach absolutely beautiful and only grandad and I on it!

And here again is the penguin grandads photos

love to you all xxx

 

As you can see it rained most of today! We set off hoping it wouldn’t rain but a huge black cloud gradually came over the whole area and as I write it is raining cats and dogs!

We went to Larnach castle which was built high up overlooking the natural harbour inlet of Dunedin.

The man who lived there had 3 wives in succession. 1st one died suddenly, leaving him with 6 children so he married her sister, who his children disliked. After she died he married a younger lady also not approved of by his grown up children.

He killed himself in the New Zealand parliament buildings and his estate was left as a third to his wife and two thirds for his children. To cut a long story short after she died the family sold the estate and it eventually was left in a ruin. In the 1960s a young couple bought it and have spent their lives bringing it back to its former glory. Their son and wife now own it and their  2 children will continue the work. It is still being renovated and is very Victorian with some of the original furniture having been returned and bought back .

It was a very wet day but we did brave it and after touring the castle we walked round the gardens and grounds which are really beautiful. There are stunning views but sadly they were covered by dark clouds! We got quite wet!

We left the castle after lunch and headed up to the Royal Albatross breeding colony.

The exhibition was free and indoors… so we kept dry and warmed up there, watching videos of the albatross and blue penguins and the fur seals.

we are back at our hotel now and it is still pouring down. we think we have bad rain in UK, but NZ can compete and win hands down.

Here are some of the garden shots I took.

Love you all xx

 

 

We were sad to leave Ian and Rosemary at the B&B, they had made our stay so lovelyWe called in at a castle and shops with animals and gardens. Meg’s place, it was very interesting and unusual

I took pics of lilies and a peacock for lilyana and some poppies

We called in at a few places along the coast as we travelled down.

Omaramu has a penguin colony but we saw loads of cormorants/shags

Next we found a headland for sighting fur seals

Lots of sandy surf beaches with no one on them

Beautiful views down to the beaches.

Eventually we arrived at Dunedin. We stayed in this hotel 3 years ago and because of that we have been given a family studio apartment with 2 bedrooms and a kitchenette..very nice!

We are here for 5 nights as there is so much to do and see round this area.

Hope you like the photos and that all is well with you all

Love mum and dad xxx

PS more photos to up load I pressed publish too soon, watch this space 😜😜😜😂😂😂

All done now, I was trying too hard yesterday

Today we opted for a relaxing day and hoped to spend some time on the beach…wrong!

it is cold and grey today and not a day to sunbathe at all. We went into the town and found a coffee shop.

Next we visited the information centre and paid to have a tour of and explanation of Maori rock drawings. A Maori lady told us many things about her culture and how the Europeans had wrongly assumed lots of facts about the drawings and their meanings.

She made her talk so interesting and from the heart, I found myself welling up with tears. I will remember all she said for ever.

So next we went to the Timaru botanic gardens. They were formal Victorian style gardens with traditional beds and different themed gardens, surrounded by many tree varieties. No rainforest plants were featured at all.

The rest of the day we travelled to Fairlie to our favourite bakery for a late lunch.

Much to our indignation we were stopped by the police for travelling too slowly.

65 to 80 in a 100kper hour. You can be fined here for travelling too slowly !

Back at the B&B we went for a walk along the cliff path for about half an hour. We came to a marshy area and saw lots of different sea birds, even a spoonbill flew overhead.

 

So today Thursday we returned to the lakes we had whizzed past yesterday!

The valleys all the way inland are lush and green with many animal farms. We saw pigs horses deer cows bulls lamas chickens alpacas….And many sheep farms.

First stop was a vintage antique shop. We saw loads of car memorabilia there.

Lake Tekapo was a beautiful turquoise colour because of all the salts washed down the mountains into the water. It was so windy, but a warm wind like being in a hairdryer! There weren’t many people around today and not much traffic. We stayed there for a while and ate our sandwiches.

The road then leads on to turquoise blue lake Pukaki. At the end of this long lake you can see Mount Cook. BUT it was shrouded in cloud😔

The wind was so strong there were lots of waves lashing down on the rocks. You could mistakenly think it was the seaside!

We stayed there for ages sunbathing and enjoying the scenery.

The road back to Timaru passed 2 more lakes that were formed by dams. Their water was deep navy blue in colour and people were on kayaks and small boats enjoying themselves. We were quite tired by the journey it is a long way to travel so we slowly headed back to Timaru. We did stop for a double ice cream that turned out to be a triple serving!

The Maori paintings were on the distinctive chalk cliffs at Duntroon. They were barely visible and had been tampered with in 1900s and some removed.

There was a large baby bird laying on the ground, I think it was a bird of prey because of its size and beak. It must have fallen down the cliff face. It didn’t look very well I hope it’s parents found it after we had gone. Well that’s all for today. We are staying around Timaru tomorrow, a day on the beach and around the town xxxxx Continue reading →

Today Wednesday we set out to visit Mount Cook. Determined to leave plenty of time to get there we whizzed past all the beautiful sights on the way, the lakes and viewpoints. We weren’t disappointed. There was the mountain top covered in sunshine and glistening snow. At the visitors centre there was a huge window looking straight onto the mountain.

I decided to have lunch before we did anything else and we had a lovely salad. Sadly for us while we were eating lunch the cloud descended and the summit was covered. Never mind we still got photos and had actually seen the top.

We followed the road round as far as we could into the mountains and came to a car park. There was a walk up to a beautiful glacial lake. 430 steep steps! It was so lovely up there. I’m afraid the dust was blowing everywhere though and I found it difficult to breathe. But I didn’t have my inhaler with me. Dad helped me down the mountain and as I got to a lower level I began to feel better. I’m pleased we did go up there and I’ve learnt always to have my inhaler with me.

We came back retracing our steps and visited a lavender farm. As you can see from the photos the smells were so good!

We had ice cream flavoured with lavender too, it was so yummy!

Next we visited the church of the good shepherd on Lake Tekapo. The setting and views are wonderful.

We didn’t get back to Timaru until 8.30pm. We had such a lovely day xxx

Sunday evening we left LAX airport at 11pm and travelled for 13 hours arriving on Tuesday morning at Auckland New Zealand…Where did Monday go to??? We then had an internal flight to Christchurch South Island, 45 minutes, and picked up our hire car.

So here we are in Timaru after a 2 hour car journey very tired but excited to finally be here.

No photos today as our cameras were packed away sorry.

When we arrived in Christchurch a Maori welcome of shouting, songs and dances was being given to a family with a small child. Nose and forehead greeting too. I wonder who they were and why the New Zealanders performed to them.

Our bed and breakfast is very lovely and the owners are very kind, we have huge glass windows along the lounge and bedroom with views over the sea and town.

well that’s all for now xxx

 

Santa Monica Pier and the 16000 steps.

We walked a long way today…over 16000 steps according to my Fitbit.

It was sunny and windy so we put on sunscreen and parked up by Venice Beach carpark.

The surf and swell on the sea was wild after last nights storms. Lots of surfers were there and crashing waves. We got some great action shots of surf.

We slowly ambled along towards the pier; a long way in the distance at Santa Monica. It is a pavement and a cycle track all along the coastal stretch with limited access for cars.

All along beach dwellers were selling their artwork and jewellery. We got whiffs of wacky backy at every part along there! There were such a diverse lot of people in every way . What an experience! Finally we made it to Santa Monica Pier. Hundreds of people were there and street performers artists and the huge

Amusement arcade with big dippers and amusements. So pleased we made the effort to see this culture of LA. People were hiring electric scooters, skaters, skate boarders,cycles of every variety were racing along through the crowds.

Bans were playing, buskers were everywhere from Venice to Santa Monica

We didn’t feel scared at all as everyone was enjoying themselves and not extruding into others space.

We saw forest Gumps Baba shrimp stall.

After the long trail back we decided to go to the airport early as usual, and have our dinner at one of the restaurants.

I’m writing this at the airport now and feeling ready to sleep most of the journey if I can

Hope your first days back to work, uni,and school go well

Love and kisses xxxx