From the Mountains to the Sea

Zigging back across New Zealand, we seek out the eastern side of mighty Mt Cook and more glaciers. Did we mention that glaciers in the South Alps move much faster than in other parts of the world? The mountains here are so steep that the ice travels downward at an average rate of a meter per day (as opposed to, say, Alaska or the Swiss Alps at a few inches per day). That’s fun for the viewer because if you spend more than a few seconds gawking at the power and majesty of it all, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see some sort of avalanche.

Leaving the area we encounter a New Zealand traffic jam: hundreds of sheep being herded down the road. Protocol says to just drive slowly on through them. Mostly they veer out of the way, but look out. Individuals suddenly remember they forgot their purses and turn back to retrieve them.

We veer off course ourselves for a quick side trip to Antarctica, not that far from NZ. Here you see our rental vehicle and basic accommodations. Too cold, though, especially when the wind kicks up! Not too chilly for the diminutive blue penguins, though.

In Kaikoura we go to meet the dolphins. Well! This is no resort show with trained animals. Our boat, holding about 12 people, motors far off the coast. Suddenly there are hundreds of dusky dolphins leaping about. We slide into the water in wet suits and snorkels, and these playful animals swirl around us, clearly in charge of the fun. We are lucky in our timing. Gale force winds and rain (snow in the visible mountains) kick up as we are returning.

Here are a couple of benign-looking fur seals chatting about brands of shampoo. Later we meet their ill-tempered counterparts as we round a rocky outcrop. One is low, the other high on a ledge, effectively blocking our passage unless we care to swim. There is a knock-you-over aroma of fishy urine. As we attempt to sidle by, they issue growls of warning with an impressive show of teeth. Okay, okay, back we go to explore other options. These guys are called fur seals, but actually they’re sea lions, which is noteworthy because sea lions can actually move quite swiftly and adroitly on land. Ultimately we perform impressive climbing feats as we scale a narrow rocky ledge, clinging to clumps of grass, to pass above them. Sorry, no photos….

And so we close our time on South Island. A couple of days later we board the ferry for Wellington, along with a double tractor-trailer truck of cows who are not at all sure it’s a good idea. Probably on their way to a barbeque.

We leave you now with
this very sensible message.