Slow down, you move too fast....

Hello again! This evening we find ourselves in Kaikura, which is a town famous for its off-shore whale and dolphin populations. We're really looking forward to going swimming with the dolphins tomorrow morning - hopefully they'll be feeling in a friendly mood!

 

We've spent the last few days travelling along the north coast of the South Island. Our first stop was the Abel Tasman National Park, which was good but didn't quite live up to the expectations we had based on the photos we've seen. We went for a walk along the coastal track, hoping to admire the beautiful beaches and green-blue sea, but the track was so enveloped by trees that we only got brief glimpses of the sea! We did visit a couple of beaches and went for a ride on a water-taxi, but it wasn't quite the paradise we had hoped for! Maybe the overcast weather had something to do with it.

 

Much more enjoyable was the trip to the far north west, where a huge spit of sand stretches out into the sea. We visited some stunning beaches with beautiful sand dunes and wild seas, and had great fun jumping off the dunes - hopefully we'll load some of the photos tomorrow.

 

Next stop was Nelson, which is a cool town with lovely cafes and restaurants. We spent one night in the town and then spent last night with Eileen and Rob in their gorgeous house in the country. It really was a beautiful place, set in 5 acres of land with views in all directions to the mountains and sea. Unbelievably the house isn't worth much more than our little terrace in England. We had a great time with them, and I even really enjoyed the vegetable lasagne, which is something I didn't think I'd ever say.

 

Before I sign off I have a confession to make - I have a New Zealand criminal record! A few days ago we were happily driving along when an un-marked police car behind us put on its lights. To my surprise I was speeding! We've spent the last month crawling along in our hire car, being overtaken by everybody, so it was a real shock to find we were driving at 67kph in a 50 area. In my defence, m'lud, the speed limits seem to be pretty random over here - one minute it's 100, the next its 50, then its 70. No excuse of course, and I ended up with an $80 fine, but hopefully no points on my licence.

 

Will report back soon about the dolphin swim. Love to you all, and thinking of some of you especially right now.