There and Back Again

We could have been forgiven for thinking that we were still in the northern hemisphere in the depths of winter as opposed to the Caterbury plains at the height of summer. Our first planned excursion was a 2 day hike around Mt Somers but the weather thought it would be a better idea to tip it down and confine us to the comfort of the van. That Sunday we headed to the small independent cinema in Geraldine and, having collapsed in the sofas reserved for us at the front, rather shamefully managed to really enjoy the flick Julie & Juliet. A break in the weather allowed for a short stroll in Peel Forest, visiting the not so large but signposted "Big Tree" before Amy and I left the boys to get to Ashburton for a job interview. We arrived on time but looking like complete hillbillies in our travel clothes, myself with a spectacularly awful beard to complement our attire. Things did not start off well as the minute we set foot in the door we both turned to each other saying it was the last place we would want to work, the big pet shop out front emphasising the fact that this was part of a large group of practices. Things did not fare much better once we were sat down with the opening statement being that they were looking for people who could commit for at least 3 years, us replying that we were here for just one. The slick corporate interview we had expected never materialised and instead we just took part in the good old chat that seems to be the norm for veterinary recruitment. 30 minutes later and having met some of the other staff we were offered the jobs, Amy in a 100% large position and myself the opposite just involved with the smallies. With a 1 in 7 rota, good salary and close to the hills/ski slopes it was too good an offer to miss and so we found ourselves as members of Vetlife Ashburton by the time it came to catching up with the boys in Omaru. Our wildlife luck started well immediately when we stopped on the cliffs overlooking a yellow eyed penguin colony, apparently one of the rarest penguin species, spotting 4 waddling out of the surf. Further along the coast Phil and I braved the gale to go surfing, my first since Morocco over a year earlier, the highlight of the session being the massive seal we saw as we walked back to the van. the morning surf was more of a success with the 6' board that came with the van being better than expected! It was then onto Dunedin vie the world famous Moriaki Boulders (which I had never heard of). these spheres buried in the sand were much smaller than expected and not that interesting though Tim did his best to entertain us by stumbling in the waves, tripping and losing his phone from his unzipped pocket. The rain continued as we entered Dunedin, perhaps appropriate for the "Edinburgh" of this isle, but we found a good campsite by the beautiful St Kilda beach and caught the bus into town for a few cold ones.

At this point the sun came up and our wildlife luck continued as we headed to the Catlins coast, an isolated stretch of rugged coastline, empty beaches and animals galore. Stopping by Nugget point we had a quick surf in the noticeably colder water before wondering to the lighthouse where we sat and watched the seals bask on the sun-baked rocks and cool off in the waves. A side track then took us to Cannibal Bay where my highlight of this stretch occurred. A walk along the beach in the evening sun, gulls swooping on the currents overhead, was pleasant enough but then a sea lion emerged from the surf, lifted its enormous frame upright on its front flippers and crossed the beach into the dunes. Until you are faced with one the scale of the beast is unimaginable and it is then you find them truly worthy of their name. For the next couple of days we dawdled along the coastline, visiting waterfalls, beaches, headlands (including the southern-most point) and ended up at Porpoise Bay where, just as we thought luck had left us, a hector dolphin performed a full flip right in front of us before being joined by three friends. At this point Amy and I had to head back to Christchurch to collect our medical results and submit them to immigration, but not before a midway break in Timaru for a surf at Jacks Point. A kelp strewn reef break will take a bit of getting used to but should be fine so long as I don't break a fin at every visit, unlike the first (start as you mean to go on and all that).