F is for Ferry: Interislander to South Island

Selfie with a difference!

 We are on the move again.

We joined a packed ferry to cross Cook Strait to Picton from Wellington.

I kept a bird watch on the deck, saw a couple of Mollymawks and was most excited to identify a new seabird - there were a number of Buller's Shearwaters, with their distinctive 'm' marking on the back. First new bird for this visit to New Zealand.

We are now in Kaikoura, one of the hotspots in New Zealand for seabird encounters. So we have booked with Albatross Encounters to go out to sea tomorrow and I am hoping that the lumpiness of the current conditions will improve a little.

Off hiking now along the Kaikoura Peninsula.

O is for Oriental Bay Beach: summer day in Wellington

A stretch of man-made beach along Oriental Bay comes alive on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon in Wellington.

We walked from Ngaio to the beach to get some walking under our belt and the gang joined the crowd on the beach to have a swim.

Lovely to see a community at peace and able to enjoy a public space harmoniously.