Up at sparrows this morning to go ...... Yep, fishing at the dam. It was windy and cold and had been raining most of the night, but was clearing.  

 Farewell to the Twizel house driveway that Lex and Carol so graciously lent us! We owe you guys!

The dam proved incredibly windy and cold, but our intrepid fishermen were on the prowl. Gail and I sat in the van which, by now, was being buffeted relentlessly by huge winds. The whole van was rockin' and rollin' like I wouldn't have believed!

No fish biting, winds getting stronger, time to say our goodbyes to Gail and Murray (would be great to have them visit us in September) and get on the road to Dunedin, our next stop.

Well .... On the road and the winds were so incredibly strong, Bill had his mind and hands full trying to keep this big 7.3 metre long x 3.5 metre high van on the road. 
He came close to stopping several times. It was a bit hair raising! But exciting!

Twizel, Oamarama then into the Waitaki Valley with long straight roads running parallel to Lake Te Akatarawa and Lake Waitaki. It is a clear day with the mountains staring down on us, with the turquoise lakes keeping us company and the wind. The lakes all fed from glaciers in the north. Alpine forests, vineyards and cute villages, and GALE FORCE WIND, Unbelievably stronger than Cyclone Debbie we experienced in Queensland, before we left Australia.  We reckon at least 115kmh or more.  
The lakes were whipped up with metre high waves with the water at the Waitaki dam hydro station being flung over the top of the spillway, with such force. Our photos do not capture the ferocity of the wind. You had to be there. It was amazing and exciting! Bill braved the elements and at great risk of being picked up and flung away, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, he managed some great shots and a video. It seemed even the locals in this quiet hamlet, were also out taking photos. We heard later that 2 camper vans were blown over on the Mt Cook road.

We followed the Waitaki river then pulled away as we got to the coast and Oamaru. Travelling south we get to Moeraki and the Moeraki Boulders lying on the beach, having been formed over millions of years on the sea bed, by a layering process similar to that which forms pearls. Then, when the seabed was uplifted by volcanic activity, high cliffs were formed and the boulders came tumbling down over time, as the cliffs eroded. Some boulders had been split asunder, maybe in their fall, and the layering effect could easily be seen. Fascinating! This rugged coastline slipped beneath our tyres as we travelled south to Dunedin.

Anyone driving into Dunedin from the north can't forget the hill climbs that take us to the city. A remarkable and grand entrance to the jewel in the Otago crown!

A big drive today for Bill, with so much concentration needed! Great skills!