New Zealand - Kaikoura, and farewell to Sylvia and Skippy from Christchurch

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12th - 20th March

New Zealand - Kaikoura, farewell to Sylvia and Skippy from Christchurch.

I woke up in our unit still dead from yesterdays drive from the Glaciers. :sleep As a result I spent most of the morning in bed and/or watching TV. Sylvia bought some fruit and makes us a delicious fruit salad which my body absorbs quicker than you can say osmosis. :D

In the afternoon we send some e-mails & make a number of phone calls home or trying still to sort out the insurance claim from the bike being knocked over in Darwin. :spitfire We also book a whale-watching trip for early the following morning. The day whooshed by and there was little else to punctuate it barring how tired we were.!! :sleep

The following morning we had to get up extra early to pack the bike before going whale watching as we were to return to Christchurch after the whale trip, and hence, couldn’t leave our gear in the unit.

Having parked up and secured the bike and our gear we obtained our tickets and grabbed some breakfast and a coffee. Before boarding the boat we were given a briefing as to the operators programme and safety requirements. As part of their briefing we were warned that there was quite a swell out at sea and advised to take any anti-seasickness medication we might like before departing. Sylvia felt she would be fine but I decided to take one of these herbel ginger-based anti-sickness tablets, (that I'd proved on a dive trip in Australia), as if things went pear-shaped I didn’t want to spend nearly 3 hours with my head over the side of the boat missing out on the fun. :eek

We boarded a fairly new looking boat and set off to sea. Once we were clear of the speed restricted area, the boat took off and we were bouncing off the waves hard, and I mean hard. :eek: It was a shock initially but most of the watchers seemed to adapt ok, most as I say. :eek

The whale watching was great and we were both blown away afterwards by seeing a pod of around 200-300 Dusky-dolphins dancing out of the water, performing all sorts of tricks as part of their natural expression. :D There are no real words to describe it but ‘amazing’ is as close as I can get. :nod We were given 10 minutes to appreciate the Dolphins before we headed back to harbour for which we were both truly grateful. :thumb2

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These were Sperm whales. We also briefly saw some Orcas(killer whales) but too quick for me to photo. :rolleyes:

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Going......

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...Going....





..........................Gone !!

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The Dusky dolphins were everywhere.

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Their antics produced some interesting photos, although I managed to capture them better on my next visit which can be seen in my next entry.

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And, continuing my theme from Alaska, the splash that signifies the one that got away !

Before finally leaving Kaikoura we wanted to visit a very accessible seal colony where the seals were said to lounge on the beach a few metres from where you are standing. We‘ve heard so many stories around the world of this amazing thing :rolleyes: or that incredible experience :rolleyes: that we'd become healthily sceptical, however on this occasion, even as we were riding into the car park, we could see one seal about 4 or 5 metres from us on the beach.

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Kaikoura in the region of the seal colony.

After parking and getting the camera out we go over the where we’d seen the seal and click merrily away until we become digitally satisfied :D and became aware that a further 30 or so seals were lounging on a rock out-crop and a further lone seal on another rock.

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The first seal we saw close to the car park. It really didn't appear bothered by our presence.

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You what ?! ........you woke me up yah bugger !!

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We were surprised to see these tiny nails on their fins.

We split up for a while whilst Sylvia focussed her attention on the lone seal whilst I clicked and conjured new ways of digitally capturing the 30 or so seals on the rock outcrop. After about an hour or so we‘d come to our saturation point and decided it was finally time to leave for Christchurch. Both of our hearts were growing heavier with each hour by this point as Sylvia’s flight back to Germany was now only a few days away. By way of diversion we decided to stop at a fresh sea-food café which can only be likened to a hot-dog stand in the UK with a few table and chairs around it.

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The largest group we saw on the rock out-crop.

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This chap here had a bit of a loud yawn and.....

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........then reclined for his afternoon nap.

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This one couldn't even be bothered with a yawn and spent the whole time I was there rolling from one side to the other asleep.

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....which for this one was even too much effort !!

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The lone seal that Sylvia went to see. A not too close inspection will reveal a quite badly cut area around its right eye.

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None-the-less it did however seem quite content to lay in the sun without any apparent discomfort.

The café was less than a mile from the seals and helped keep us in the adventure for an hour or so longer. We ordered scallops with a garlic suace on toast to start, followed by a whole grilled Lobster, which, once we’d found out how beautiful the scallops were, was then followed again by another plate of scallops on toast. If only your screen had a scratch and sniff !! :D The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the hour sitting there as much as any we’d spent anywhere(except my time on the Salar in Bolivia and looking at Everest from Kala Pathar !). But finally we had to leave.

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Our Lobster Lunch ! :D

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...with the remaining scallops on toast from our starters !

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A photo to give your children nightmares !!...I'll leave you to decide which would scare them most !!

The ride ‘back’ to Christchurch was unremarkable and the weather deteriorated to being quite overcast and cold.

When we got back to Christchurch we were to meet up with Phil/Sharlyene & Donald/Annette for a farewell to Sylvia meal. Before doing so though I had to return my ‘wet’ Dri-Rider wet suit to one of the shops in town. The owner wasn’t very keen on refunding my money as he wasn’t able to test the suit and verify my ‘claim‘. :rolleyes: The situation was starting to become a bit woolly in so far as he was talking about problems with manufactures etc. :blast :rolleyes: I didn’t have the time or energy for this (as there was no ambiguity in my mind as to what was at fault :nod) and so decided to play the trump card of knowing Dave Milligan (from ‘Get Routed’) enough that he would vouch for my honesty and integrity. (Needless to say he also knew Dave very well). He could see I was serious and concluded that he would give me a refund as being an ‘Around-the-world Biker’ I wasn’t likely to rip anybody off. In my experience not a call I’d make based on his assumption, but I was happy to let it lie to end any further dispute.

Sylvia and I then rode around to Phil’s shop so that he could lead us back to his house for dinner once he‘d closed up for the day. On the way to Phil’s we stopped at a ‘Bottle store’ to buy some drinks for the evening and we also bought a bottle of Champagne for the two couples to be drunk on the eve of their own ‘Around-the-world’ adventures sometime in 2010.

We have a lovely meal and evening chatting with everyone again but I was still shattered from all that had gone before and everybody could see that and so by around 10pm, we all went to bed. Phil and Charlyne had graciously offered us a room for the night and so we were able to take about three steps before dropping into bed.

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I got to ride Phil's 990 under duress......took about a second to convince me...where...... :thumb2 :D

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......upon my return Donald comments on the size of my grin. Try as I might boys, I can't deny how freely the engine spins compared to ours. Whey-hey-hey ! :D

Phil and Sharlyene had to work the following morning and had further very kindly left us the free reign of their house before we left ourselves.

For Sylvia’s last ‘Official’ duty in New Zealand she’d elected to bestow her presence on the Antarctic centre just outside of Christchurch near the airport. I wasn’t sure of her choice and was concerned it was going to be tacky. My fears were not confirmed, and if anything we’d have liked a further few hours there. Finally though we are in the gift shop so handily positioned at the end of the tour. ! As you would expect most of the souvenirs are Antarctic related. However, to my surprise, as we were checking out, the cashier on noting my BMW motorcycle jacket, asked me if I’d read ‘Twisting Throttle’ by Mike Hyde. I explained my desire to have purchased a copy in Picton but hadn’t been able to as they were now out of print. She said she thought they still had a few ‘autographed’ :eek copies at the back of the store !?!?! They did !!!! ::eek Of which Sylvia bought me one for the long evenings ahead after she’d flown home. :D

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The position of the Antarctic relative to the southern hemisphere countries. We found it quite surprising.

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There were a few interactive exhibits.

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The best one being an Antarctic chamber where icy wind was blown at you to create a temperature simulation of around -15 C


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A shot of Sylvia to end any speculation as to the reality of the chamber !!

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A survival box for expedition Antarctic life.

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Some of the penguins that would have died without the centres assistance.

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The centre had a unique swimming area for the penguins which allowed us to view them under water.

After completing our shopping we went to the café and got ourselves some coffees. As we were sitting there a man approached me to ask about the bike and as he did so I recognise him as ‘the’ author of ‘Twisting Throttle‘, Mike Hyde. :eek :D About an hour of stories later :D, and after he’d personally signed my book :thumb2, we said our farewells and went our respective ways.

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Mike Hyde and I in the cafe after our tour.

For Sylvia’s last night we decided to visit an Indian restaurant !! ( like you do !?! :eek) The food was ok but we both felt a bit odd knowing that tomorrow we were going to be parted for the first time in almost 18 months of 24/7 living. :eek

The following day we took pretty slowly as the only thing on the agenda was Sylvia’s packing and journey to the airport. Once we’d divided up what I would & wouldn’t need post-Sylvia, we were ready to go.

It was very hard for both of us and felt a more permanent parting than it actually was. Our time at the airport was marked with inconsequential chit-chat and an impatient crazy-ish man who felt he had the right to be at the front of the coffee bar queue straight away. (Needless to say that was sorted out ! :augie :D)

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Sylvia at the airport car park after her last ride.

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Sylvia feeling rejected considers her options just outside the airport terminal. :D

Finally a ‘last call’ is made for Sylvia’s flight and after a kiss good bye she disappeared into the security check-point and up an escalator. She was gone and my second sounding-board-mate for the trip went too.

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Sylvia's flight, Air New Zealand bound for Los Angles (via Auckland) & then onto Munich & Hamburg. :eek :sleep

I knew it would be tough once she’d left and it was ! :( Despite the obvious lack of her company and friendship, I had the whole process ahead of me of getting the bike & myself back to Australia, the bike repaired and serviced and finally sold before coming home myself. It may not sound a lot now but there was a lot more to be done between the lines. :eek

I rode back to my unit and decided to focus on one thing at a time. The first thing being a ’Double-whopper with cheese’ at the local ‘Burger King‘ :D to be consumed whilst reading ‘Down Under‘ by Bill Bryson. ‘Down Under’ actually made me laugh out loud in the restaurant at one point. :D A laugh I was very grateful for ! :D :D

I returned again back to my unit after dinner and watched ‘Mundo Enduro’ which had been given to me by a new ex-pat friend, Rob, who we’d met at the Horizons Unlimited meeting on Arthur’s Pass. For those of you who’ve not yet seen it, it is about a group of guys riding the longest way around the world in the shortest possible time. Their brief also included the ‘minor’ details that they could only camp in the rough (so no camp sites!) and they couldn’t eat out-i.e. they had to prepare and cook all their own meals. Here was I at the end of my own ’RTW’ feeling travel-tired and needing a rest that only normal working-life stability could provide, ........ being tempted to go off again !!! Needless to say I enjoyed the film and went to bed dreaming…….of ………the PIN……….to……….Richard Branson’s Current Account !! (I wonder if its ‘Virgin’ ?) :D

The following day I decided to visit a contempary Church just outside of Christchurch. I didn’t do a lot more with the day except watching the sequel to ‘Mondo Enduro‘, ‘Terra Circa’, in the evening.

The next few days I used to get some clothing and bag repairs done, along with managing to successfully download the memory card that was in the Olympus water-proof camera when it became un-waterproof in Australia!. I also made some preparations for shipping the bike back to Australia. Initially I had intended to return to tent life after Sylvia left but the process of making all the necessary arrangements meant that staying in the unit made more sense as I had the space to spread everything out without fear of theft or a weather change.

The morning of the 19th was the last in my cabin and marked another point in my journey, namely moving on without Sylvia. It was odd packing up the bike, not only without Sylvia, but also knowing that this was to be the last time the bike would be packed in New Zealand. I spent an hour or so after on my laptop sitting on a bench just behind where my cabin had been surfing. The weather was beautiful, exactly the right temperature for me and just a very light breeze. I had a tea, my laptop and some unhurried time for the first time in a while. I was very relaxed and had a real peace.

On packing I’d noticed the absence of my BMW neck scarf given as a gift from Chris Harmann in South Africa-After a quick search it initially appeared that it had been stolen off the washing line the previous day ! I asked at reception to see if anybody had handed it in but ’No’ was their response. I was actually quite sad having come so far only to have it stolen on the last leg of my journey in such a nice country. :( (However, see my final entry in NZ for the conclusion of the scarf story !.) Later I visited the local Supermarket to pick up some shoe polish to clean my boots before shipping them and a few other articles the following day. (Everything had to be immaculate to get through the Agricultural quarantine inspection.)

Phil had offered to loan me the use of his jet-washer to clean my bike before tacking it to the Depot for shipping and I’d accepted his offer. I wasn’t due to meet him until 17:00 later in the day and didn’t want to spend the ‘spare-time’ hanging around in town and so I looked on the map for a suitable spot to recline. That spot came in the form of ‘Bottle-neck park’ (!?!:eek) where I had lunch, cleaned my boots and generally enjoyed relaxing under the shade of a tree. :sleep

After a few hours I popped into town to collect some trousers and a bag I’d had repaired. I also managed to exchange a CD I’d bought the previous day. Whilst walking along one of the streets in town I heard my name called but I wasn’t sure of the callers voice and wondered if it belonged to somebody ‘knitting with only one needle’ :D. In the end I turned around to see Donald, one of our new New Zealand friends, who’d seen me walk by his shop. We exchanged a few pleasantries and I set off to meet up with Phil at his shop.

Once I was at Phil‘s shop, my rear tyre was changed back from the knobbly to my Bridgestone road tyre. :( The final nail in the coffin for my/our New Zealand riding experience. :( After an hour or so Phil & I headed off back to his house to clean my bike up with Oscar, his dog, nestled in a new bag he‘d had made so he could also travel on Phil‘s KTM. :D It made a great sight as Oscar spent most of the journey nosing around and licking the air. :D As we started the cleaning process it was naturally necessary to add some beer. The bike cleaned up very nicely & really quick which was a blessing as it was fast getting dark. We had dinner together which had been pre-prepared by his wife, Sharlyene, who was attending a Spanish class in preparation for their own RTW in 2010. We talked about various issues & adventures and headed off to bed too late !

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Farewell to the knobbly which had covered around 10,000km of road and track without puncture or slipping. Removal courtesy of Phil & Linton

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Phil, standing by his own KTM which he intends to use for an RTW in 2010.

Staying up so late is nice at the time but horrible in the morning if you have to get up early. Phil & I’d stayed up late chatting /watching TV and so when the alarm went off I wasn’t ready for the day. (Neither of us looked ready either !)

After a quick shower & breakfast, Phil & I headed into town to drop the bike off for shipment back to Australia. The morning weather was beautiful, really beautiful and I was really enjoying the ride into town. What a ‘cruel’ irony that this should be my last bike ‘ride’ in New Zealand. :( (Though I counted my blessings at the same time. :nod)

I got to the depot and around an hour and a half later the bike was prepared for shipment. As I was waiting for my car rental firm to collect me, Dave (of Get Routed) turned up and informed me that I could borrow one of his vans for my last 10 days in NZ for free as he now had 2 !.:confused: He offered me his phone to ring and cancel but they were due to collect me within the hour. Tempted though I was, I had committed myself and decided to stick with it. As it turned out the Rental company wouldn’t have minded if I’d cancelled :rolleyes:, however my second reason for not taking Dave’s van was that if anything had happened whilst in my possession, and that reason still stood.

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Unpacking and preparing the bike for transit was a straight forward but lengthy task....and not welcome so early in the morning...ok, so it was around 08:30-AM.

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Skippy being loaded into the return container under the ever watchful eye of Dave Milligan(getrouted.com.au).

I signed all the paperwork at the rental companies premises and drove off. As I left in a 2006 Fiesta I couldn’t help beating myself up a bit over the $NZ600 I was now spending on the hire fee :blast :blast :blast, despite my ‘obvious’ concerns of using one of Dave’s vans. :blast

The drive to Kaikoura was just short of 200 km’s and took a few hours to get there. Once there I returned to the same (Top Ten) site Sylvia & I had stayed at and managed to squeeze onto their ‘Miscellaneous’ (!?!:confused:) camping area for tents.

One of the big attractions of Kaikoura is being able to swim with the Dolphins in the wild which was something that had really appealed to me, but I am also a keen photographer. My reason for returning to Kaikoura was to see the Dolphins again but I wasn’t sure which I experience I wanted to have. In the end I decided that 2 trips would be too expensive and with this in mind I opted for taking photos and so booked the trip. (As it turned out there were only reserve spaces available for swimming with the dolphins anyway.)

In the evening I settled on the local Blue cod & chips for dinner (from the local chippy !) and had to wait 45 mins as the queue went outside of the shop as their food is so popular. :nod Dinner was fine & supplemented by a few beers. I checked my e-mails & rang Sylvia before going to bed.

My second tour of the South Island was now at it’s beginning, albeit in a car :blast :eek and on my own.

Mike.
 


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