No Fixed Abode: Last boxes ticked.

Fri 12 Feb 2016 - The Banks Peninsula

A rather solemn mood this morning knowing this was going to be our last full day in NZ.

We only have the boat trip booked for this afternoon so we, once again, had a leisurely breakfast sitting on the picnic bench in the sunshine and looking over, what has become, a very special bay for us and watching the various breeds of birds get into their morning swing. After breakfast we cruised into Akaroa and went straight to the library. Glenn hastily publishing the last three days of blog and Yvonne reviewing the estate agents stock - we have rather fallen in love with this place.

Not wishing to waste the glorious sunshine we grabbed a quick lunch sitting in the gardens surrounding the war memorial and watching a young, bare torso’d guy practicing his juggling whenever some girls walked by. Ahh the folly of youth.

After lunch we wandered around town then along the beach just enjoying the sunshine and the ambience and recounting the great memories we have of NZ. With 20 mins to go until our boat trip we strolled to the old quay, we were later to learn that it is the original quay, and awaited the arrival of the good ship Fox II, an old wooden gaff rigged ketch, from it’s morning trip. As it approached Glenn took some photos and video with the skipper obliging by performing a nice leisurely gybe whilst the camera was rolling.

All aboard and it was off for our tour of Akaroa Bay. The owner advertised 100% success seeing hector’s dolphins, the rarest and smallest dolphins in the world, which we’d hunted from the Catlins on the south to the west coast, where there is even a town named Hector in the honour. Sure enough after a brief history lesson from the skipper of the Maori, British and French occupations we met our first pod. They are really cute. Small, agile grey and white in colour and travelling in small groups they raced inquistively to the boat, nosed around a while then left. Within a few moments others arrived in, what was to become, a constant stream throughout the trip.

As well as the dolphins we saw some blue penguins. Another character we’d been trying to spot since the Otago peninsula. They are difficult to photograph as they’re small and only briefly swim on the surface before diving below to fish. So two thrills in short succession.

On our way to the end of the bay and the open ocean we learned a lot about the geology of the area and heard tales of the many historic local characters as well as seeing many grey and pied shags both in the water and on their cliff top perches.

Once out at sea and in the full force of the wind, the sails filled and we were off surging through the swell. Then, for us, the highlight of the day. Two, giant albatrosses came skimming over the waves, banked their huge wings into the wind to gain more height then dropped into a dive and banked back across the wind. A manoeuvre they repeated over and over again - kind of like beating in sailing - making steady progress across the wind without a single flap. They looked so elegant, so regal we couldn’t keep our eyes off them, not even to take photographs.

Feeling very smug with ourselves that we’d found such a glorious place and seen such beautiful wildlife on our last day we returned the harbour enjoying the late afternoon sun. What an ending to a fabulous time in a fabulous country.

Back on dry land we packed our bags ready for tomorrow in a somewhat maudlin atmosphere then drove to the top of the high pass for dinner at the Hilltop pub - kind of a last supper. The food was good old pub nosh and we’d noted that there was entertainment planned. Within a few minutes of us ordering a scottish guy, who told us he lived in Cornwall, began playing a concertina and singing scottish folk songs. We finished our meal and listened to him for a while then drove down to Lake Forsyth, where we’d spent our first night in Banks Peninsula. No sign of the cockerell…

...but he was back in the morning!!