24.02.2020 Hi there - I'm back - with farm, seals, beaches and sunsets..

Just arrived at Abel Tasman National Park after a long but beautiful drive. Looks absolutely fabulous but I'll tell you more about it when I've had some time to explore.

Back to the last couple of days. We left Picton and headed for Ward which is a small village on the East Coast between Blenheim and Kaikoura. We were invited to spend a couple of nights on a farm with some family from Maureen's side. We didn't want to arrive too early so we stopped at Blenheim the gateway really to the Marlborough wine growing area. Strange isn't it - despite having been hear for a while and knowing what the towns are like I still envisaged a small, old place like you have in France with little caves and restaurants dotted about. Nothing like that really bit of a disappointment despite all of the vineyards that we had passed on the way. it's only saving grace was the "Wine Station" which literally was the railway station which had been converted, partly into a cafe and wine tasting place with wines from all over Marlborough. We wanted to buy some wine to take for our hosts and settled on a wine from the Greywacke label which was recommended by one of the ladies there. If you find it in the supermarket try it, especially the Pinot Noir which is the best one I have had since I have been here. The owner is a man who used to run the Cloudy Bay vineyard which I am sure I have had in the UK. Sadly not a lot of wine tasting went on as I was driving. We headed off to Ward and after a bit of confusion at first we found Carol and Nick, 2,500 (or thereabouts) sheep, around 50 head of cattle and five dogs to help them out. Sadly we had missed the shearing that had been going on that day but the location of the farm was incredible In between the mountains and the sea. It had been around fifty years since Carol had come to NZ so she and Maureen had a lot of catching up to do and the food and wine went down a treat.

The next day Carol, she's the tall one on the right, took us around the farm in a Toyota in the morning. We took a couple of the dogs with us as apparently we needed to sort out some sheep on the way. Ward suffered in the last earthquake which hit Christchurch and Carol showed us where the major slips had been and explained how the shape of the landscape had changed. Her and Nick had got married at the top of one of the steep hills overlooking the bay below. You can just see a bit of white fence in one of the pics and that was the place.

The skies in New Zealand just never cease to amaze me and in the afternoon we went down on to the pebbled beach and walked to watch a colony of seals and caught a lovely couple dozing behind their Landy - just couldn't resist that photograph.

What a fantastic day we had. Later I went out on a quad bike with Nick. He wanted to show me a spoonbill that came to the farm in the evening. Sadly we scared him off but I did manage to get one shot off. The evening sky in all its gold and pink glory was just too much to miss and we did an early evening ride. Nick told me that, like many farmers, they have bad days but they just drive to the top of one of their hills, look out over the ocean on one side and the mountains behind them which makes them realise just how lucky they are to be living in such a marvellous place despite all of the hard work.

Sadly we had to leave the farm and say goodbye to Carol and Nick but we will be meeting up with Carol's father and two of her brothers in Christchurch. It was time to start going up and over from the East Coast to the West Coast and we headed for Hanmer Springs which is an alpine resort with yes. you guessed it Thermal Springs. Maureen took advantage of the thermal springs but I just had to get out into the forest and walk after a long drive.

The scenery was perhaps not as spectacular as on the farm but beautiful in it's own way.

Well that's me caught up for now. Early night tonight as I'm off on a water taxi to take me up the coast to do a 15 kms hike back to another bay and then a water taxi back to Maharau my base for the next few days.

Catch you soon!!!