Things we learned: They call it call&talk for a reason

We love to listen to the radio here. They play good music, have some stations in Maori language and they pronounce the E so lovely.

And they talk a lot. They have a lot of call-in programs where they offer a subject and people can call and express their opinions on the subject. Even though the subject doesn’t really  seem to be of great importance. One day we listened to a show with “rodeo” being the topic. The show master was not really in favor of it as “this is the most terrible thing you can do to an animal” but encouraged listener who liked it to call “we want to hear from the ones who like it” she said, following by a 10minute rambling why it is terrible to do it. No rodeo-lover dared to call of course. But other people called. And they talked. About young people not showing respect to the elders. Problems with finding a job. “now I really want to hear from the people who like rodeo”. A lady who is knitting little patches that she sales was next on the line. Nothing really had to do anything with rodeo, but the show master just kept talking with whatever topic the caller came up with. A bit pointless really, but there were a lot of nice E’s in all the talking. So we loved it.

Stuff we saw:

Our fantastic little free campsite at the seaside

roaring waves

full moon and footprints

catchin’ a fish.. maybe

more full moon, more beach and more sea

sunrise 1

always pretty landscape no matter where you are in NZ

We visited a bird sanctuary and found this fella: a Kaka

not really shy when fed

This is another pretty one we found there

Kakas doing some climbing in the trees

the New Zealand pigeon

peeeeep!

The southern coast of the northern Island

we really enjoyed it.

250 steps up to get a nice view….

I think it was worth it….

everything looks like a dinosaur could walk out of the bushes at any given time…

250 steps down again….

that dude was right next to the road there…

just hangin’ around, you know!

I can sleep everywhere if I must

they are laying everywhere….

count the seals…

for a seal that looks real comfortable

sleeping in all positions

“what are you looking at me?”

backsleeper

sporty one

scene of the Lord of the Ring that didn’t make it to the movie: Frodo meets the Seal in Mordor

nice coast

great rock formations

sheeps are everywhere

guys going after white bait (we got to eat them later on… yummy)

A little lake right at the edge of the seaside

Lake Onoke

Stuff we did:

We drove down the east coast of NZ to a little DOC campsite. Directly at the beach. We watched the sunset and returned after dark. The full moon reflecting on the pitch-black sea. The reflections on the little waves turned the sea to silvery lines all the way to the horizon.

Out of this world experience. Peaceful and wonderful.

We got up in the morning too. To see the sunrise. We really made most of this amazing beach that we had to us all the time.

ON our way down south, we stopped at another seaside attraction. There is a little lighthouse with 250 stairs up the hill. But that was not the attraction. The attraction are seals. They hang around there. On the rocks, swimming in the sea, on the grass and underneath the bushes.

We spent hours to watch these clowny animals. Watching them with their funny way to climb on rocks and slide on the grass I thought they probably really enjoy humans swim. As clumsy as these animals on land, as gracious, elegant and acrobatic they act under water.

For them, humans are probably the clumsy clowns in the water, and acrobatic on land.