Another well earned sleep in and we were off to Oamaru on the east coast about three and half hours drive from Christchurch, maybe 4 in a motor home.
We set off about 10.30 and started to think about our destination and how many times we have been here, which is 5 I believe. The town is quite large with a very nice little harbour which is home of blue eyed penguins and a large seal colony. On most nights you can lift up a row boat along the foreshore of the harbour and find a penguin sheltering under there. In fact the caravan park we are at tonight is frequented by little blue eyes every night as they waddle through the grounds and some have nests under the amenities block as we are right on the harbour. There is also quite a few old warehouses from days gone by that are filled with brewery's, antique shops, model railways and nick nack shops which you could spend a few leisurely exploring if you enjoy that sort of thing.
We stopped along the way at Caroline Bay which is in Timaru for lunch and a rest from driving the motor home that has the aerodynamics of a brick wall. A quick bowl of hot soup and some bread and we were off to the beach to stretch the legs and get some rather refreshing air. We had fun looking at the wood that had washed up on the beach and our Son was having a great time taking photos and videos along the beach. There is a skate park here for the kids and we were marvelling and how good they were with no regard for injury, oh to be young and foolish again :)
We hit the road again and made our way to Oamaru arriving around 3.30 and made our way to have a look at the seals sun baking on the rocks and see if the sea was huge like last time. Last time we visited we could see the rocks from the bottom being swept up with the waves and being blasted through the air when the waves hit the break wall. The see was calm today and the seals were as lazy as ever with an ever endeering aroma that could be smelt from a 100 paces. We dove back around the harbour and into our park for the night the Harbour Tourist Park which we have stayed at before. It is a little boutique park with about 20 powered sites and 10 un-powered sites and is located right on the harbour. I managed to get down the beach right on sunset and fire a few shots off before the colour went.
We then went out for tea at the Star and Garter restaurant which is a short 450 m walk form our park and had a lovely meal in a very warm and welcome location. My Wife and I had a the roast of the day which was baked ham with gravy and assortment of roasted and steamed veggies. Our Son had hot dog with chips and salad and we finished our meal with a Ginger self saucing pudding with whipped cream, chocolate and mint!!! Terrible :)
After a brisk walk home through the old warehouses and cobbled stone roads, we fire up the gas heater and electric heater and warm up our home away from home. The wind is quite strong tonight and I will see how it is tomorrow as driving south from here is very open and if the wind is up, can be very dangerous driving.
If the weather is ok in the morning I am planning on going over and capturing the rise as the sun does not rise till 8.16 so can sleep in a little :)
Wish me luck and see you tomorrow.