Rugged Vistas along the South Pacific Ocean Coast
By Gabi. Filed in New Zealand |
Early morning drive to Kaikoura along the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Both islands are of volcanic origin and on the South Island the shores are strewn with old lava rocks, where hundreds of the New Zealand sea lions hang out. As a backdrop to this rugged coastline, are the Seaward Kaikouras, taking on an autumn hew, bathed in golden yellow tones. In Maori legend, the Kaikouri Peninsula was where the demigod Maui, fished up the North Island from the depth of the sea, thus beginning the creation of New Zealand. In the 1800′s-early 1900′s the village of Kaikoura was an old whaling station. Now the surroundings flourish through sheep farming. All those sheep that we missed on the North Island, were here on the South Island, literally 1000′s strewn throughout the countryside. I guess it still must be a lucrative enough business, even though we had been told to the contrary
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The sea lions, even in the wild, are real actors. They seem as if they were posing for our photographs, sometimes waving with a flipper or go ogling us with those trusting eyes.
Since it is autumn here, not main tourist season, in the little hamlet,we “rented” the shore for ourselves and enjoyed our picnic lunch.
Thereafter it was on to Springfield, a little village in the middle of nowhere but on the way to Mt. Cook. Here we stayed in a hostel hotel of the last century, like the kind, one associates with the Old West. We had an evening meal among the locals, who seemed to be speaking a different language, even though, it is English.
Lothar called it the ” Moth Hotel “, because of the number of moths in our room and bathroom.
Saturday, March 19th 2005 at 11:08 pm |
We want pictures!