Left Dunedin at 7:30 AM and pulled into Akaroa at 7:00 PM. Long day. Lots of stops on the way. About 90 minutes from Dunedin are the Moeraki Boulders, a strange set of ball-shaped boulders along a beach. Some whole, some split apart. Spent an hour or so shooting images. It’s a wonderful site. Had been here in 2012 on my trip extension after Stewart’s trip ended. Went into the café there and got a super breakfast.
From there, we drove a couple of hours to Oamaru which has two great attractions. The first one is Steampunk HQ, and eclectic collection of strange and wonderful objects and experiences. The best part is The Portal – a room about 15x15x15 covered in mirrors on all walls with lights hanging down. The mirror effect is almost infinite in all directions. Then there is a 2 minute light and sound show. We did it three times. Jeff videoed one. Cool! Other displays in there were great, but this is the highlight.
From there, we walked around the corner to the other thing the town is known for: a Victorian district with all sorts of shops. Galleries, folks in Victorian dress, etc. Again, had been here five years ago. Saw the restaurant where we had lunch then. Fun. Grabbed a sandwich around 1:00.
Then off we went about 1:30 for the longest drive segment. Before we left, Stewart was interviewed on the local radio station. We listened in the van. Stopped in Timaru for potty break. We’re moving north, past Christchurch and out onto a peninsula to a harbor town, Akaroa. Very winding road in here the last 50 miles or so. Got here about 7:00, dropped off our luggage, and a few of us went to the local fish and chips shop … had kumara fries!
So, I seem to be coming out of my cold. Still coughing a bit. Jonathon got more cough stuff for us. Donna is just starting down the cold route and is feeling crappy.
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