We have now made it to sunny Motueka in the north-western part of the south island. By the good graces of one Mr. Sutherland we are living in the lap of luxury at his house in this bustling seaside town. The house backs on to a golf course, is but a short walk from the beach and boasts a pool table (current score: Niall 4-0 Laura). The weather has been superb every day since we arrived enabling us to stroll each evening along the beach and to make the most of the surrounding countryside and its walks. On top of that we have now been for a wonderful kayak around Marahau (starting point for the Abel Tasman great walk). The sea was very calm and we were able to sit on deserted beaches and (unexpectedly) kayak with very friendly seals who delighted in swimming under and around the kayak.
They were beautiful, graceful animals and were very playful, one tried chomping on the rudder and a few nudged our paddles. All the while we were just arms length away from them. We also came across some pups who were very curious but also a little nervous to get in and swim near the kayak (see below for photo).
We spent around an hour alone, with the friendly beasts before heading back to shore via beautiful coves and shorelines with crystal clear water. All in all a lovely day out and one of the highlights of our trip so far.
From next week we hope to use this spell of good weather to our advantage by completing the Abel Tasman great walk before starting work in either a packhouse of pruning - oh the joy.
In any case we are all (Ruff included of course) in great spirits and looking forward to discovering more of this lovely region of New Zealand before starting up our travels again and seeing the rest of the South Island.
The next update will bring you information on the Great Walk and our progress on the job front.
Niall and Laura + Ruff
3 comments:
Great stuff,
I remember paddling those same waters. Though they were not so calm, and the seals kept their distance. Glad to see Ruff is alive and well, I was getting worried there. We had friends of Erins and Suzanne here in Lux' and went for a ride in their Ferrari F40. Bit faster than the Kayak!
Usual beers at Top Squash last night.
All is well
Forgot,
Did Ruff do the Bungy jump (Danny boy told me about it last night)Must say I am impressed that you got near that one Niall. Any Photos?
Wow, it sounds like you guys are having an amazing time and the pictures are brilliant!
Love the blog too, it's easy to read and very enjoyable. I can't wait to read more and see more pictures. The baby seals are especially cute!
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