Friday - Jan 15, 2010 - Going to Motueka

We mainly drove north from Christchurch through the mountains until Kaikoura. There we again saw the Pacific Ocean. We stopped at Kaikoura for a bathroom break and to walk around. It was a quaint town. There was a lovely butcher shop where we bought sausages for supper. They were gluten free. Charles got venison ones and I got tomato basil.

At a picnic area north of Kaikoura we stopped for lunch. It was very windy and cold. It was not raining at least. We had to hold down our lunch fixings or lose them to the seagulls. Ever vigilant, these birds watch just in case we should turn our backs or drop something. I wanted to take pictures after we ate. It turned out to have great photo opts. There were lots of seals on the rocks. Some, where very close. I got some nice pictures of the seals. Once we saw a couple we realized just how many there were. Most of them were sleeping but one was active. One raised its head when some teens came close. We did not want to get too close.

After lunch we headed |North to Blenheim then west toward Nelson Most of the road to Nelson was quite flat and we could make time. However, we still had to cross the mountains. Slow down time with many switchbacks going up and down. It was also slow going through Nelson. The main road runs right along the waterfront. There was an accident as well. We again headed north to Motueka

The trip had many great sights. It is hard to capture the grandeur on the camera. It is also hard to find places to take pictures. At the top where you can see everything there is no place to stop. At the bottom there are place to stop but not the views.

It was bright, sunny, and hot when we arrived. I felt like Nanook from the south, with my long pants and fleece jacket. After unpacking Charles went for a dip in the pool. Charles BBQed the sausages to go with corn on the cob and zapped potatoes. We ate outside on the picnic table, as it was cooler. The sausages were delicious.