February 10th 2018
The end of our North Island adventure means the start of our South Island adventure. We travelled across the Cook Straits on the interislander ferry and were lucky to have really calm conditions. Part way across there were dolphins leaping out of the water close to the ship.
Once on the South Island we drove to Havelock along the famous Queen Charlotte scenic route which totally lived up to its name. In Havelock we stopped off at Cullen point and walked the hour long coastal loop which sadly didn’t take us down to the little coves that we could see from our walking path.
We headed back to the site at Picton and dinner and did some route planning.
February 11th 2018
A very rainy day everywhere today, but as the east coast generally looks nicer over the next week we changed our route and will travel south and tour in a clockwise direction. The scenery is spectacular, even in the rain.
We drove first to Blenheim where we stocked up at a large Countdown store. Then onwards to Kaikoura which is famous as a whale watching centre. As we approached the town we could see seals on the rocks.
When checking in at the site here, we booked a whale watching trip for tomorrow but couldn’t get in until 4pm so we will stay here tomorrow night too. When the rain cleared we walked into the town centre of Kaikoura, looked at the shops, indulged in a real fruit ice cream and walked onto the beach to watch the waves. On the way back we made a few souvenir purchases.
February 12th 2018
Glorious sunshine today. This morning we set off to find the car park at Point Keen to walk part of the peninsula walkway. We went from Point Keen to Whalers Bay following the cliff walkway. Once we had climbed the first part, the path levelled off and it was a fairly easy walk along gravel or grassy paths. Then at Whalers Bay we followed the steps down to the rocky beach area below. There were some seals on the rocks and the whole area is a nature reserve. We both really enjoyed the walk and John took quite a few photos of stunning views and beach objects.
Back to the site with the vehicle. I decided that it would be better to just have a sandwich tonight after the whale watching trip so we walked back into town and had a meal there.
We returned to the site for a couple of hours before heading to the Whale Watching office. We were taken by coach to the boat ( a catamaran) and set off out into the ocean. Luckily after a while we saw a sperm whale on the surface and we watched it dive. During the trip we saw another sperm whale, a hump back whale, lots of dolphins, an albatross and a couple of seals. It was a super trip but unfortunately John dropped his prescription sunglasses overboard!
A very full and rewarding day!
February 13th 2018
After calling in at the whale watching centre to buy some books about whales for the little boys and a pair of sunglasses for John to wear over his normal glasses, we set off towards Hanmer Springs. The journey took longer than expected due to very windy roads and a lot of road works. Hanmer is nestled in the mountains inland and people have been coming here’s for more than 125 years to seek the benefits of the natural mineral waters and clear alpine air. So we had lunch and then walked up to the Thermal pools. They are set in the open air and consist of a variety of natural mineral water pools with varying temperatures, private thermal pools, steam and sauna rooms and there are areas for children too.
We booked half an hour in a private thermal pool to start, which was quite warm (38-41 degrees) and was very relaxing. Then we came outside and explored the different pools; some were ‘aqua therapy pools’ and had a variety of water jets to massage and sooth achy muscles, others were mineral pools again at different temperatures. Some pools had seats in them for added comfort. We tried the sulphur pool which although a bit smelly, but supposed is good for the skin. The sulphur pool was quite hot also and we didn’t stay long in that one. The two hours we were there, were really relaxing and enjoyable moving from pool to pool in the glorious sunshine. We are having such an amazing time and are loving all the different experiences and places.
Umneysontour 