Going to Get Me a Feed of Crayfish
Trip Start
Mar 02, 2008
1
5
7
Trip End
Mar 08, 2008
Where I stayed
The White Morph Motor Inn
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Once the fog cleared I was treated to some lovely mountain scenery and was once again faced with the "do I stop and take a photo here, or will it be a better view further up." After a number of bad calls I decided to always stop and take the photo when the moment serves.
I rode on down to Sheffield on a nice road that afforded quite fast speeds. At Sheffield I took "Scenic Route 72", which, despite being signposted for every Brit in a campervan to see, wasn't too polluted with lumbering tourist wagons. And the road was well maintained, fast and fun. At Oxford I turned off on to Ashley Gorge road and followed the back roads through to Amberley. It was nice rolling farmland, with hedge lined roads, and no traffic.
Amberley hooked me up with SH1 and the traffic, cops, and boringness that goes with it. I filled up with gas (currently averaging 18km/lt) and grabbed a pie for a pie-nic later on, and headed up through some vineyards. The road from Waipara turned out to be quite fun, and I didn't realize it, but I was getting quicker and quicker into each bend, until I noticed I was pulling out of one corner at 140km/hr, so decided I had better pay more attention to what speed I was doing. Good thing to as a minute later a passed a cop heading the other way. Besides that, nothing much of interest happened, besides being ambushed again by a Hawk! What is it with those birds? And they are really big, next time I might not be so lucky and run straight in to one to become the first NZer to have a bird of prey surgically removed from my sternum.
After some wicked bendy bits heading into Kaikoura, I arrived at the coast road, which was very pretty and nice with its turquoise sheen, contrasting the intense blue of the deeper ocean, but by this time my butt hurt, and I was frustrated by a couple of trucks then an old lady in a Suzuki Swift (a car that consistently doesn't live up to its name), so didn't really appreciate it like I should, and didn't stop for a photo - something I am regretting now.
Kaikoura itself is a really stunning place, with the mountains and the ocean and all, and looked amazing coming into town. Once again didn't stop to take a photo, just wanted to get to my hotel. Once I had checked in, I relaxed and didn't take a photo, and by the time I did get out sightseeing, it had clouded over and the mountains were obscured. Apparently I didn't learn my lessons from earlier in the day. Doh!
I went for a walk up over the peninsula and looked at more seals . . . do they do anything other than lie on rocks and yawn? No wonder they were so easy to kill off back in the day, the Sealers really had an easy job.
I had a lovely dinner at a fancy restaurant; of course, I had to get some Koura, being here. So took a big plunge and ordered a NZ Seafood Selections platter with half a cray' on it. And was presently surprised, as I don't really like shellfish, but the mussels and scallops in this dish were fantastic. I think it was the sauce really. The mussels still tasted like I had just licked a rock covered in saltwater and seaweed, but it was well masked by a fantastic creamy sauce. I topped it all off with a Tiramisu and went home a smiling man.
It just started to absolutely bucket down with rain, hopefully it passes quickly and it is a beautiful clear, still morning tomorrow for my whale watching boat ride at 7:15 am.
