Nathan came home from working away and we have had a ball...
Here is a picture story (these days i don't have a lot of time for words!)
Elly got dressed up to get Dad from the airport
...and had solids for the first time.
You will have to turn you head for the vertical pictures...blogger is still being annoying...
Elly is not such a fan of carrot. Banana is best.
After a well deserved rest we hit the road and headed to Dunedin - In the very south. A new place for me and Nathan had not been since he was a kid...
On the way Elly had her third meal at a posh cafe - start as you mean to go on....
On the way, I got to see some big rocks which are rather odd. I had seen them in a guide book a while ago and was interested in seeing... they were overrun with tourists - Pah!!! I am used to having this country to (virtually) myself.
We stayed in a castle (naturally)
This was our view from our lovely room...
We dined in the castle with other guests on 2 nights - Elly was so good and the food amazing!! Here Nathan is amusing her and the other guests...
We went penguin watching!
Family portrait
Amazing amazing views
Sunset from the room - Beautiful (turn head!)
Then home again....
Elly attempts more carrot
and then we are off to our boat in the Malborough Sounds
Nathan kindly arranged for this forest to be grown into a heart shape for me (Ok, ok maybe not...)
Half way stop in Kaikoura
Such a beautiful beach (head turn again - the beach looked very dramatic and I got too close to a freak wave) - we saw the odd seal from the car and even the water from the blow hole of a whale (what is the technical name for that?) from the ocean road too!!
All aboard our beautiful boat SS Magoo. We took Mike and Davina our neighbours - we will be living in their house from July as they are moving abroad and we are going to swop our view for an even better on!!!
....BBQ breakfast (turn head again!)
OMG OMG OMG about 50 or more dolphins were suddenly all around us - swimming around the boat and playing in the spray at the front and sides - coming to say "hi" and jumping all over the place. OMG OMG I was over excited. These photos do not capture the amazing-ness of the moment!
Taken from the front of the boat (no zoom on any of these pictures!)
We stayed in the same bach as before about 3 hours away from the marina on the Queen Charlotte walking track - Beautiful ferns and plants
Elly liked it
Nathan enjoyed beer
I enjoyed the blue cod Nathan caught!
Next stop New Plymouth as I am joining Nathan "on the job" for a few weeks until the UK trip!....
