Today has been a magical day. After a very comfortable night's sleep we woke to very strange bird song at dawn. After more sleep we got up, ate, made sandwiches and wandered down to Akaroa. A huge cruise ship had anchored in the bay and the town was full of happy tourists. We found the people we had booked our kayaking trip with, paid and then found a shop selling blue pearls - cultured pearls made within the beautiful local abalone shells (paua).
At noon we joined our kayaking party, led by Shireen (a fourth generation kiwi) and Ben (a french Basque) for the drive over the rim of the ex crater walls from Akaroa to Pohatu. It was a dramatic drive along rough roads with fabulous views!
Looking back at Akaroa we could see our campsite In the background.
As we drove, the road got smaller and the side drops more precipitous. The descent on the other side was even steeper, with more wonderful views. As we wound back down to sea level we could see the Pohatu bay where the marine reserve is, together with the house where Shireen lives.
Shireen and her husband run a farm over a huge area, mainly with sheep. Several came to meet us when we parked at the house on arrival. As we were quite a large party it took a while for everyone to get sorted out with a kayak, and to be taught some basic safety precautions. Then we launched the boats out into the bay and paddled towards the sea.
We saw several black shag, or pied cormorants, then spied a seal at the side on the rocks. A short distance on we saw a small penguin (a white flippered penguin) halfway through his moulting stage. As we continued to paddle a pod of Hector dolphins arrived! They are small pale grey dolphins, and we saw about 8 of them round our boats. As we neared the rocks on the other side of the bay we saw more seals, and passed a seal nursey where about 10 or 12 young seals had been left while their mothers were away hunting.
It was quite hard to get good photos of the seals as the canoes kept bobbing up and down with the waves, and I was terrified of getting the camera wet. By the time I had extracted it from it's waterproof bag we were often well past the seals!
Back on dry land we put the boats away and carried the lifejackets and canoe skirts back to be washed in the stream by Shireen's house.
Even though the drive anywhere from her house was quite hazardous, and it was so extremely isolated, the views from the garden were so fantastic and the setting so dramatic, it seemed a fantastic place to live. After living there for so long, Shireen said she has still has not tired of the view, which was no surprise. After tea and home made cookies we sat around in the sun chatting with our fellow visitors. Then a real treat, it was time to feed the penguins which are rescued every season to give them a better chance of survival.
This was a younger bird still shedding it's baby down. Each penguin had a few small fish, and a drink, and was then put back into it's pen, scattered throughout Shireen's garden.
The last pen contained three youngsters, who immediately dashed to everyone close in the search for food.
It was a magical afternoon, dolphins and penguins in one trip, and a visit to a beautiful farm. Back at the campsite one of our new friends kindly gave us all his left over spices and food as he has to return his campervan tomorrow. A bottle of red wine, two steaks and some of the best sweet corn we have had since we left Canada finished off the day.
Tomorrow we head towards Mount Cook, with, hopefully, our first freedom camp of the trip on the way.
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What a great day! This is fun reading your adventures.
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