Wild wonders and a southern bell

Very cold overnight again, a hard frost when we woke, but the bright sun soon melted it all and we had a quick game of snakes-and-ladders on the table by our motorhome; Barbara won by sneaking up a ladder at the last moment having trailed behind the whole game until then.

Set off in due course for a drive/walk around the Otago Peninsular, and were blessed with a bright sunny day, if a bit windy and with a slight southerly chill.

Down through the steep streets of Dunedin and out the other side, we were soon onto the winding coast road with fairly narrow lanes and significant drops in places, just a metre or so to the left of the vehicle, and no barriers.

The inevitable coffee stop with a quick check of the map at a pretty little cove called Portobello:

And then on to the very end of the peninsular and the albatross sanctuary and lighthouse and a windy clifftop walk:

Onwards and a brief stop for a photo of Mt. Charles:

Then down a very remote unmetalled road towards Sandfly Bay until we couldn't drive any further.

An interesting walk with a few challenges, but very worthwhile once we eventually got to the almost deserted beach. A few other like-minded visitors were just leaving, so we had the beach to ourselves, well, us and the wildlife:

Then Barbara spotted a strange lump of seaweed floating in the surf just off the beach:

I wasn't convinced that it was seaweed, and was even less convinced when the seaweed hauled itself out of the water:

The seaweed looked around, saw us and decided that we weren't edible or a threat:

And then decided that that bit of beach wasn't to its liking after all:

The seaweed floated off down the beach a little way and came out of the sea again:

I'd decided that it wasn't seaweed, but actually a sea lion so ambled down to make its acquaintance:

It was having a very pleasant roll in the sand, and clearly knew I was there, but wasn't in the least concerned, and concentrated on scratching itself, or whatever it was doing.

After a while, it flollopped off up the beach to investigate the sand dunes:

By that time the day was getting on and we needed to shop before getting back to the campsite, so we negotiated the complex dunes back to the motorhome and had pleasant drive back.

Once refreshed, we set off for the:

Which is a very impressive church, and when you see that a hill was removed to make a base for it which would have reached to the top of the main windows, it is all the more impressive:

It's nice inside too:

And for the ringers who might be reading this, here are the bell details:

But most importantly, the treble is the most southerly ringable bell in the world, and here is Barbara ringing it:

And these are her friendly fellow ringers (thanks everyone):

And she has the polo shirt to prove it:

With a nice logo:

And that about finishes today. Sounds as though tomorrow may be interesting, weather-wise.

written by  Saros on May 7, 2009 from Portobello, New Zealand
from the travel blog: The Hairy Animal 2009 World Road Trip
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