5th Oct - Blenheim

Following on from a recommendation from a lovely welsh couple we met weeks ago in Lake Tekapo we booked ourselves onto a “wine tour by bike” in the Marlborough region. What a great combination...wine tasting and cycling. After being collected by one of the owners, Nigel, from our campsite we soon arrive at the HQ and are kitted out with bicycles, helmets and bottles of water (we are told we should make sure we keep drinking the water) Nigel provides us with a map, recommendations for some of the 40 or so wineries in the region and sends us on our way! What a fantastic place to cycle around, we are fortunate to have glorious sunshine all day. After visiting a couple of wineries in the morning, we head to the Highfield Estate which has been highly recommended as a lunch destination. Stunning! With a fantastic Tuscan Tower that has 360 degree views of the area, the grounds are absolutely beautiful. It is whilst admiring these views that our phone rings. At this particular moment, phonecalls cause a great deal of excitement as we are awaiting The Call from back home to announce that our baby niece or nephew has arrived into the world! Well, on this occasion it is not to be.....rather, a phonecall from Argentina! Our university friend Paul and his girlfriend Becky are arriving the following week and we arrange to meet them in Christchurch. (Leaving the estate, we make the exact mistake that Nigel told us to avoid – we leave in the wrong direction and end up lost. Such a pretty place to get lost in – so we don’t mind too much. )After visiting another 3 wineries in the afternoon, (which included encountering the biggest great dane dog you’ve ever seen and a super-enthusiastic Canadian sommelier) we are armed with 3 bottles of wine, (A Sauvignon Blanc, a Riesling for Andy and a Pinot Gris for Jules) and realise we should be heading back to the HQ. Well, we were a little further out than we realised, and faced headwinds all the way back. Somehow, cycling AFTER all those wine tastings was a great deal trickier than when we started out! Following the white line along the edge of the road became harder, especially on the super highways. After what seemed like a never-ending slog back – we were home and dry! A brilliant day out – we would definitely recommend it! All in all, we cycled about 15-18km that day and boy did I feel it the next day.

After a few more days chilling out in Blenheim, on the 8th Oct we headed down the coast to Kaikoura in the hope of doing some whale watching – well, it wasn’t to be. The weather was horrendous, the only tour we might have got on was departing in 15 mins and we were starving! So, choosing lunch over trying to get on the tour, we sought out what else there was to do in the area.....First stop – a fur seal colony. We followed the road out of Kaikoura along the coast, until we reached Point Kean where there was a fur sea colony. We weren’t disappointed! Pulling Rodney into the carpark, we couldn’t work out why everyone started to gather round the van bonnet. Well, just below us, next to the wall was a giant seal, fast asleep! Lazing around on the rocks were lots and lots of fur seals. (We were informed during our sea kayaking trip that contrary to popular belief they aren’t lazy animals, its just that they live nocturnally – this is bed time for them) After marvelling at the lovely creatures for a while, we headed back towards kaikoura and our next destination – a Sheep Shearing Show.

As soon as we step foot onto the farm, the friendly owner accosted us and gave us the opportunity to feed some of the baby lambs they were hand rearing. They are so so cute, one of them being only 3 weeks old (and already it has started to ram its head into things!) No sooner had they guzzled the milk, the owner picked up the lamb and gave it to me to hold. After getting over the shock that i was holding a lamb, it was at this point i decided i would like to take a lamb home. (not an option the husband tells me...) Once feeding time was over, the sheep shearing begun – impressive work. It looks somewhat brutal towards the ram, however the guy is so quick to complete the job - it seems to take a moment for the ram to realise it is now naked! After some irresistible photo opportunities involving Rams horns we head on our way. A great little outing!

On the morning we are due to leave Kaikoura, we awake to yet another flooded campsite and ducks paddling in puddles.....Never before have we seen so much rain!

9th October – we arrive back in Christchurch. We have now completed a complete loop of the south island! We spend a few days re-familiarising ourselves with Christchurch, which includes a fantastic dinner at a Burmese restaurant. Lonely Planet did good! Our campsite is right in the centre of town, which is great as we can walk into town (packing and unpacking the van gets a little tiresome after a while!) We are intrigued by an estate car on the campsite which a couple appear to be living in. On a daily basis they take out all their bedding/mattress/belongings.....give it a good shake and then re-pack it. A bit odd....

Sitting in a lovely pub garden, we wait for Paul and Becky to arrive – glorious sunshine up above, we cant believe how lucky they are to arrive to this weather! Once they arrive, we spend the rest of the afternoon catching up, exchanging travelling stories and sharing travelling tips! It seems a shame to leave it at that, so we decide to head to the old favourite from home...Wagamamas! for a spot of dinner. Chicken Katsu Curry has never tasted so good! We had a fantastic time with them and look forward to seeing them in Australia!

Following our reunion, we have a super-early start the next day – 6.30am to be exact as we have a whale watching tour in Kaikoura we’re booked on!

On arriving at the tour office, we are pleased to see a large “Severe Sea Sickness Warning” up against our departure time. Much deliberating ensues as to whether we should go on the trip......After popping some motion sickness tablets, we decide to just go for it. Well, they weren’t kidding about the sea sickness warning! 15 mins after we set off the first person is struck down. Then another....then another. The poor steward on board is kept busy running paper bags back and forth to the bins. Ick! Lucky for us the tablets seem to have done the trick, but we also realise they are better than sleeping tablets for making you drowsy. Nevertheless, we make sure we haul ourselves out of our seats onto the deck everytime we stop for sightings, and we are not disappointed. We manage to see 2 sperm whales – the best bit being when they dive down again, flipping their tail in the air! The highlight of the trip for us is the pod of dolphins that decides to accompany us on our return to the harbour. Amazing!!! The pod is huge and they are so playful! Real attention seekers – just like the fur seals that also pop up to play along the way. This really does finish off the trip perfectly for us! We just feel sorry for those who only managed to see the inside of paper bags for the entire duration. Notably, the lady who couldn’t even get back on the coach for the 10 min journey when we return. Her husband is under strict orders to go and collect the car to bring her back....whilst she lays on the floor. This was the perfect way to end our time on the South Island! Now we just have to get to Picton for our ferry crossing to The North

14th oct – The day we swap islands
Our ferry is at 6.25am...which means we need to check in at 5.25am. Such a horrible time to be up for in the morning, and by this point Rodney is sounding a little worse for wear so we feel a bit guilty about starting his engine, and clearly waking everyone else at the campsite as he sounds like a boeing 747! Nevermind, lucky for us there are a few other vans who have also been economising and booked the same ferry crossing!
After getting over the intial organised chaos that is parking our car on board the ship (cars/lorries/campervans parked every which way and pedestrians walking all over the place?!) We’re sure the crew know what they’re doing when they direct us......We head to the lounge to get some much needed breckie and shut-eye. North Island here we come!