Its an odd feeling turning up at someone's house who you have never met before, but is a friend of a friend, but Sue's friend Gabrielle couldn't be more welcoming, or entertaining. The beers and wine are soon flowing before we head out for some supper at a great Asian tapas place, and some nightcaps before strolling back. We have a great night's sleep with comfy pillows and warm duvet, a far cry from the budget hostels we have been used to since Trish's place in Bondi. It makes us start to realise how much we are missing our house. Not necessarily homesick, just missing all those little home comforts that you take for granted.
After we return the hire car, and pick up a new toilet seat for Gabrielle (!) she drives us around the Wellington coastlines, which give us a great view to the city, around the bay, over to the South Island, and then back to the city for a spot of lunch. We stroll back along the quayside via the Te Papa National Museum, which has a great giant squid exhibition and the portrait gallery to find Gabrielle waiting for us at home with chilled champagne, and some bluff oysters. We've got to fix the aforementioned toilet seat though (not damaged by us needless to say), before the treats are ours, and it proves a bit more tricky than it should. Luckily there is a man in the house and Jimbo saves the day leaving Lucy and Gabrielle wearing the marigolds and supervising.
OUr Sunday evening in Wellie is spent meeting an old mate, Clare, who is in Wellington for one more night only, before heading back to the UK after 3 years. So we time it just well to see her, and meet her mate Jas for drinks and supper. Its great getting to know a place with people who actually live there, and are so relaxed in the surroundings, rather than when we are on our own finding our way. It makes us enjoy a place so much more, even though in the case of Wellie, there isnt a great deal to do.
We're up and out early the next morning to pick up the ferry to the South Island. Its billed as one of the most scenic ferry journeys in the world, so take our place on the t op deck as the sun rises over the Wellie hills. As the city disappears in the background, we are joined by some dolphins crossing over Cook Strait into the Marlborough Sound. The South Island lives up to its billing, with lush, rolling green hills all around us, and we are joined by more dolphins.
The ferry drops us at Picton, and we've an hour or so to kill before our train heads off south to Kaikoura. There's a Subway in the station, so we break our Subway sarnie duck before boarding and chatting with the chap opposite us - an ex-MP, who we presume is tory. Some great views from the train on the way down of the coast on one side, the mountains on the other, and the occasional seal colony where the seals are snoozing away the afternoon.
Kaikoura is renowned for its whale watching, but we've read a couple of non-too complimentary reviews online, so opt for swimming with dolphins instead. Despite the best efforts of the weather - its rainy, and a bit windy causing choppy seas, that are also bloomin cold, it is the most amazing experience. The pod of dusky dolphins numbers about 40, and are very interested in having a good look at close range at the humans swimming around. We've been advised that they are more interested the more singing through the snorkel they hear, so despite breathtakingly freezing temperatures, we're singing away, and diving down to get them interested. They're beautiful creatures, and we're given the option to swim some more, but they're just as amazing to watch from the boat, even if its up and down motion is causing more than one sea sickness casualty, mentioning no names James...
Next day we have a great tramp along the Kaikoura headland, getting up close to the local seal colony and enjoying the hill top views along the coast. We're staying in a funny little caravan park that lacks any sort of decent facility - there's a kitchen, but nothing to cook with, or eat from - a far cry from the BIG4 caravan parks that we enjoyed in Oz. Still we have a chat with the other happy campers in our place, one of whom has been diving for Pauas - a type of large clam that attracts huge prices in China, and leave behind a beautiful shell, but are a bit unknown to us. He's got a couple left over, and cooks us one up - its a great taste, a bit squiddy, nice though.
Thursday morning and we're leaving Kaikoura on the bus down to Christchurch, and would you believe it, the weather is glorious, would have been a perfect day for swimming with dolphins, but no looking back, next stop is Christchurch. Its very British university townie - sits on the River Avon, has a Cambridge and Oxford Terrace, and generally all round pleasant enough place to spend an afternoon, but we're only there for one night, before getting another car, and heading North to the Abel Tasman National Park.
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