NZ Holiday - Moeraki to Geraldine

October 27th 2012 - heading up the East Coast

The view in the morning from our Cabin at Moeraki

Moeraki Harbour

Moeraki was an absolute picture this morning. We would have stayed another night if the cabin had been available. We had time for a walk around the harbour and the headland. A couple of fishing boats were returning laden with Blue Cod. Well, perhaps that's an exaggeration. Each fisherman has a quota of 30 fish, still a fair weight of Cod. They fillet the fish on the way home to leave all the messy stuff out in the Ocean so its all ready for the freezer. There is a renowned fish restaurant by the Harbour called Fleurs run by a Lady with great wild grey hair. Unfortunately, it was closed on the night we were there and we had debated pushing the boat out so to speak. She was catering for a wedding in Oamaru. We had Pasta at home. Living the Good Life We needed to crack on because we were making a social call today. One of TW's old workmates is living the 'Good Life' on a farm south of Oamaru. If you can imagine a wooden house set in acres of green with a gentle slope down to the Pacific Ocean then you have a mental picture of their little farm. As we arrived her two boys were out in the fields along with a selection of cattle, goats, sheep, lambs. One lamb had a floppy ear and was a bit of a weakling so needed special treatment from Peter, her husband. We had special treatment too, chocolate brownies, mmm.... yummy. She spoke fondly of her morning commute on the M25. We had lunch with the family at a Cafe up the road. Had to be Fish and Chips. Blue Cod under a blue sky. Altogether a really lovely visit and another special memory of New Zealand. Northward bound, we headed for Oamaru a smart South Canterbury town and then on to Timaru. On my last trip here I ran summer Youth Hostel accommodated in the dormitory section of a posh Girls School. TW wanted to see the place so we had a bit of a Tour de Timaru and found Craighead School. The Dairy where we used to buy our Hokey Pokey Ice Creams has gone, replaced by a Supermarket, but apart from that it all looked very smart and very familiar. Did not recognise Caroline Bay, Timaru's seaside beach area, there have been a some changes over the last few decades. Today's ultimate destination was not far to the North, the little Town of Geraldine. Talbot Street Geraldine Deep Meadows We stayed just out of town on a small farm, Deep Meadows at 86 Greenvale Road. Our little place, on the side of the main building, was very comfortable.

Deep Meadows