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We had supposed that when we left Aoraki and the central alps we were pretty well done with "Wow!" scenery. But as we left Kaikoura this morning we couldn't help but notice that the northern end of the alps comes right down to the coast.
...always better with sheep...
"Kaikoura" means "eatin' crayfish" and the area is known for big crayfish, sold from roadside stands. We had to stop and buy one.
There was a gulp when we learned that the small one we chose cost nz$36.
Cutting l'hommard tres cher.
We meant to eat it cold right there. We set the plate on a picnic table and stepped away and a red-legged gull came down and stole half the shelled hommard. Fortunately the chunk of meat was too heavy for him to fly with, so he flopped to the grass and David drove him off. The grass-stained meat with seagull spit on it was eaten anyway, with mayo and a sip of Waipara Valley Riesling.
Like in Finding Nemo they are saying "Mine? Mine? Mine?"
Just down the road we watched some fur seals establishing territory for the oncoming breeding season.
Along this coast the Pacific has a color we cannot recall seeing anywhere else, even in Hawaii.
In Blenheim, David visited the Omaka Aviation Heritage Center. This is a collection of (mostly) WWI combat planes and memorabilia of the pilots and designers of that time. The collection is the hobby of Peter Jackson and the restored planes are exhibited in dioramas created by Weta Workshop. It was very dark and hard to get good pictures but here are couple of the 16 exhibits.
An Etrich Taube, early observer plane before planes got guns. The observer is firing with a rifle.
Nieuport 27 crashed in a tree; German soldiers arrest pilot. (Spectators are real.)
We were deep in the Marlboro wine country now. Thousands of acres of vineyards just coming into leaf.
As usual the afternoon sun makes the greens pop out. So here's your daily dose of green.
...sheep, they make a landscape better...
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