Business in the front, party in the back!

day 11 (i think:)

I've been losing track of time :) But we finally have internet access...!

I know there's some catching up to do, so I'll try and keep it brief up to now.....

I made back to the station last night alright. It was pretty late and no moon, the fog coming off the rivers made the ride back surreal looking...like riding through miniature clouds...

Nokomai was great, and I was sorry to leave. The beauty, the quiet, new friends, fantastic flyfishing on the Matura River that runs right through the station, great dinners, and the helicopter! The station has a rich history, originally founded by the Scotts during the Gold Rush in the mid 1800's. Many of the buildings on the station were built during that time and are still used. Fantastic structures with great stories (yes, the doors are way tiny). Dave and I came to visit the station through my aunt and uncle who visit there frequently and have friends there. My family loves to flyfish and this place is great for that. Over time, my family and the owners of the station have become good friends. Dave and I stayed longer than originally planned so this last bit may be a little more rushed. We need to be in Christchurch on the 29th as that is when our plane leaves.

Today, we left Nokomai on our way to Invercargill and Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but the South Island is quite rural, lots of farming and livestock. It's all rolling green hills and pasture, and a bit cooler ;) There is so much green here, I've never seen cattle or sheep rest from eating before, they'll be out laying in the sun taking a chewing break I guess... Also, other than birds of prey, there are no real predators out here...so if you're a little lower on the food chain, NZ is a great place to be!

Invercargill and Bluff were slightly disappointing. Most of the houses we say were not very well kept, and the people looked a little dodgy. Mullets are fairly common, I said to Dave today, "what in the achy breaky heart is that?!" Billy Ray Cyrus would be proud, straight away. I'm sure there are nicer parts than we saw, we passed through to the light house in Bluff for a few pics, and then headed North. So it is likely that our first impression of Invercargill/Bluff is incorrect. Incidently, Burt Munro of "The World's Fastest Indian" movie fame is from here. Good movie...

The second round of sadness today was heading north and along the East Coast. The entire journey we've been heading south, but going the opposite direction made the end seem closer. That's ok, all good times must end eventually. Mom told me that when I was five years old, it's amazing the things you remember.

Dunedin was the next big town. I could tell by the architecture that it is quite old, built in the mid 1800's. It's also a college town so there is a modern edge to it as well. Cool place and we would have liked to stay longer.

Just out north of Dunedin, my clutch cable broke! Bugger! I managed to ride the bike up to Omaru sans clutch, and then the electrics failed....things were really turning to poo! But once again, we found Omaru to be a great coastal town to hole up in while we patch the BMW back together. We had the part sent here overnight and will address the electrics in the morning. there's a local bike shop here so that's also good ;) Not to mention, we have internet access here! Result!!

Tomorrow, if we get the bike fixed early enough, hopefull we'll make Twizel. I was pushing for Kaikora, north of Christchurch for some whale watching. I guess Sperm Whales, of Moby Dick fame, are common there and which we don't have in our part of the hemisphere.

good night all,

John