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| The camouflaging seals of Ohau Point |
A full tank of gas, music and the spirit of adventure. That’s what I left Blenheim with and the only thing that deteriorated was the amount of petrol in my car. I left Blenheim in the top of the South Island this morning set for earthquake-ridden Christchurch – a route which I had travelled before. And for what it’s worth, it takes half a tank of petrol or 71 songs on your iPod (without skipping any) to get to Christchurch. It seemed somewhat familiar, especially the incredible Kaikoura coastline; train tracks running in between the road and the rugged ocean and beach below is surreal, ethereal and beautiful at the same time.
I stopped for a quick break at Ohau Point which has become one of my favourite places in the top of the south. I went for a little wander through the bush and the well-cut DOC track through to the waterfall in the hopes of seeing baby seals frolicking in a natural nursery which to humans looks just like a pool of water underneath a waterfall. But alas, there were none - wrong time of year, according to the sign at the entrance to the path. To save yourself disappointment, go in April the sign says in a roundabout way. Feeling defeated I walk across the busy State Highway back to the car and ready to continue my journey south to Kaikoura when what should I spot, but a sunbathing seal laying on a rock by the ocean. And what’s more, a tourist tells me there are plenty of others over yonder a stones throw away from the makeshift carpark albeit slightly camouflaged among the rocks because of their brown fur. Excellent, but if only I had a better camera to capture juvenile seals lazing about and shimmying up large boulders looking for the perfect spot. Mental note – need new/ better camera.
Fast forward through an uneventful two hours of driving, enthusiasm waning a bit, and I make a pitstop in Cheviot. Instead of continuing through SH1 through to Domett, unpredictable me decides to take a scenic route through the back country and end up at Gore Bay which seems to be quite a popular surf and camping spot. Too bad I don’t have time for either. The detour takes me along the east coast and eventually back to SH1 back on my way to Christchurch. But not before taking a few obligatory photos – mental note: need new/ better camera. Christchurch beckons.
Upon arrival I catch up with a friend living in Sumner – one of the areas hit badly by the earthquakes. He takes me for a walking tour around some of the devastation and boulders and rocks left from landslides. Zig-zagging in and out of cordoned off areas gives you the real sense of the scale of destruction and the power of nature. One boulder sits in the middle of a road closed off by shipping containers. It’s made a massive dent in the road and stands about two people tall, two people wide and a good few elephants in weight. It has knocked out a concrete power pole which has ended up about a metre from the front room of a house. Close call. All of these properties have been red-stickered and I feel a slight unease about the voyeurism and sadism which comes with the tour, but I suppose that’s only natural or my natural instincts as a reporter. That’s what I like to tell myself anyway. Lying on my bed in my “gay friendly” backpackers I feel a small quake. It seems no Christchurch experience is complete without one these days.
Day one of my South Island odyssey is complete. Tomorrow I head into unchartered territory – Lyttleton and Dunedin. This is where the fun begins!
Click here for a link through to a gallery of photos from the trip
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