Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Kiakoura
From April 7, 2010
Jack’s brother Dick, wife Becky and son Cameron came to New Zealand to visit. We had not been to Kiakoura so we went on a road trip. Kiakoura (ky-core-a) is located on the coast about three hours north of Christchurch. There are several seal colonies there and we were not disappointed. The first beach we went to, the seals were lying around, resting, and you could go right up to them. There were several on rocks but some in the grassy areas. It seemed like a “no brainer” to me…sleep on rocks, sleep on grass. The only thing we could figure was that maybe the rocks were warm. I took a picture of a seal sleeping on his back, which couldn’t be comfortable. As I was walking around, I saw the most unusual rock with tentacles coming out. You would see seaweed floating on the water. I took a picture of the rock because it showed how the seaweed roots cling to the rock for support. Talk about Medusa…
We drove about 10 K’s north to another seal colony. We were a bit farther away but still got a close-up view of several hundred seals…mostly moms and little kids. I took a movie of the little seals playing in a pool made by the ocean receding at low tide. It was amazing to me how they could chase each other over the rocks so well with just their flippers. There are amazing creatures on this earth.
Jack’s brother Dick, wife Becky and son Cameron came to New Zealand to visit. We had not been to Kiakoura so we went on a road trip. Kiakoura (ky-core-a) is located on the coast about three hours north of Christchurch. There are several seal colonies there and we were not disappointed. The first beach we went to, the seals were lying around, resting, and you could go right up to them. There were several on rocks but some in the grassy areas. It seemed like a “no brainer” to me…sleep on rocks, sleep on grass. The only thing we could figure was that maybe the rocks were warm. I took a picture of a seal sleeping on his back, which couldn’t be comfortable. As I was walking around, I saw the most unusual rock with tentacles coming out. You would see seaweed floating on the water. I took a picture of the rock because it showed how the seaweed roots cling to the rock for support. Talk about Medusa…
We drove about 10 K’s north to another seal colony. We were a bit farther away but still got a close-up view of several hundred seals…mostly moms and little kids. I took a movie of the little seals playing in a pool made by the ocean receding at low tide. It was amazing to me how they could chase each other over the rocks so well with just their flippers. There are amazing creatures on this earth.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Our Easter Picnic
From April 4, 2010
We decided to escape to Oamaru, Easter weekend. It is located about three hours south, on the east coast. There are some unusual rocks at Moeraki Beach which were amazing. For about 50 meters there are sphere shaped rocks, supposedly formed on the sea bed about 60 million years. As you look from above you wonder why these boulders are on this small section of beach. These circular rocks are nowhere else. There is also a blue penguin colony. But the most memorable experience for Jack and I will be the side trip we took up the McKenzie Valley. For those of you following on a map, we went west on Hwy 83 toward Omarama and around to Geraldine. New Zealand has taken the Waitaki River and dammed it in several places for electrical power and have created some beautiful lakes. It is also beautiful farming country. We had already stopped several times to take pictures before we had gone 30 kilometers. Omarama country is known for the Merino sheep. As we circled around Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo, we could see Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand. It was a windy two lane highway, but Jack and I didn’t have anything to do but watch the beautiful scenery. We stopped for afternoon tea at Geraldine and were home by 6:00 p.m. We enjoy the popular tourist sites, but we will always feel more at home in the country. We experience a peace among the solitude of the mountains and valleys. We both enjoy this.
We decided to escape to Oamaru, Easter weekend. It is located about three hours south, on the east coast. There are some unusual rocks at Moeraki Beach which were amazing. For about 50 meters there are sphere shaped rocks, supposedly formed on the sea bed about 60 million years. As you look from above you wonder why these boulders are on this small section of beach. These circular rocks are nowhere else. There is also a blue penguin colony. But the most memorable experience for Jack and I will be the side trip we took up the McKenzie Valley. For those of you following on a map, we went west on Hwy 83 toward Omarama and around to Geraldine. New Zealand has taken the Waitaki River and dammed it in several places for electrical power and have created some beautiful lakes. It is also beautiful farming country. We had already stopped several times to take pictures before we had gone 30 kilometers. Omarama country is known for the Merino sheep. As we circled around Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo, we could see Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand. It was a windy two lane highway, but Jack and I didn’t have anything to do but watch the beautiful scenery. We stopped for afternoon tea at Geraldine and were home by 6:00 p.m. We enjoy the popular tourist sites, but we will always feel more at home in the country. We experience a peace among the solitude of the mountains and valleys. We both enjoy this.
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