So long and farewell to the land of the long white cloud
The last few weeks of the house sit flew by and before we knew it we were once again packing up a campervan to head out on adventures. Rather than hire one we had managed to score a relocation deal with a large company, they needed their vans taking back to Auckland and were willing to provide a free tank of fuel and ferry tickets for anyone willing to do the distance. Our first stop was to be Picton so we chose to take the newly rebuilt coastal scenic road through Kaikoura. Whilst we didn't spot any whales we did find a fantastic chippy and enjoyed fish and chips whilst admiring the scenery. As we headed further north we pulled over to let a lorry past and happened upon a breeding colony of New Zealand Fur seals. These sea mammals are not classed as "true" seals as they walk upright on their front flippers and have external ear flaps, making them look more like sea lions than seals. We spent a happy half hour or so watching the antics of th