Glenmac to Oamaru Pt 1

OK I think these are some missing pics from my trip from Twizel to Glenmac & onwards
The 1st is 1 of the hills where I rode with Pete

The 2nd is the view from my window at Glenmac

3 = a view of the valley the morning following the ride. I stopped on my way to the main road & caught the cloud before the sun lifted it.

The next few relate to some weird rock formations at Takiroa. I couldn't have a proper look at the site as a quake hasd brought part of the cliff down. All the holes seemed to be a nest for a pigeon?

The rock ends up a creamy colour. A lot of the buildings in the Oamaru region are built of it.
It's Duntroon Church, & the next 2 are daft buildings in Duntroon. I love the NZ wacky sense of humour :-))

See next blog for more of the waitaki region & the coast south of Oamaru
OAO

Glenmac to Oamaru Pt 2

After the ride I found my way to Glenmac - thanks to Pete's instructions, & Kaye welcomed me.

There were 3 Asian girls staying there, too, &; after a wander round the farm, I found out before dinner that a chap from Cromwell, Justin, who worked at the Kurow winery I'd bought the Gewurtz was there too.

(Just realised I may have told you this already, but it's been 5 months since I did Pete's ride, & the brain's gone - unless it's senility, of course?)

Next morning I set out for Oamaru, by way of Elephant Rocks. There was a pic of the info board, but in my attempts to tidy up the blog, I got a bit excited with the delete button (again - oops). There was only one which looked like an elephant , but they were big & grey ;-)

The previous pic 1, showed stunt bumbag doing its stuff giving you an idea of how big they were. But the delete button gremlin stuck again!

Pic 2 shows a few more, &
 pic 3 is a smaller rock which looks a bit like a cartoon duck's head (well I thought so ;-p ). It's about 2.5m high, & in front of a massive rock. There was one of the duck on its own, but I deleted it - doh. You'll have to take my word for it, or else come round & see in via the telly. I can't reload as this PC doesn't have a hole for my stick.

The big rock had loads of interesting weathering effects in the sandy coloured bit. Incidentally, I was watching a Narnia film at Xmas (it's now Feb !) & I recognised the Goodie's camp was here, though probably not this exact spot. If you ever watch Lion/Witch/Wardrobe, have a shufti

The next reminded me of the sandworms in Dune

Then there is Puff the Magic Dragon?

After the rocks I got back on the road to Oamaru (did I tell you it was pronounced Oh ma roo?)
when I saw a sign for a place called Kia Ora.
Well, I had to detour, didn't I ! Eventually I arrived at a crossroads & found a farm with this wacky mailbox, & knocked on the door for directions to Kia Ora as it hadn't been signed for a few miles. When I asked where Kia Ora was, the lady said "this is it" hehehehehe. There was her farm, another across the crossroads & a ramshackle Community Hall in another corner. Kia Ora, indeed. Incidentally, it does say Cock & Pussy on the mailbox. NZ humour again - doancha just luv it?
Back on the road, I made a few more detours before finally arriving in Oamaru, checking in, having a bite, and heading back north to see the Moeraki Boulders - Google the name, it's very intereresting.

The 1st is some 1/2 covered by sea, &; the 2nd was me sitting on 1 . . Don't ask! You know what happened to it.

Boulders 2 shows stunt bumbag doing its job again!

The next was one eroded by time & tide, but. . . . . Maybe one day I'll work out how Not to accidentally delete photos? Or maybe not?

A nice round 1, then an equally nice bit of spindrift. I put some shells I'd found just in the foreground, too.

Then a view of the shoreline with gorse (introduced to NZ by Europeans), & some whole & broken boulders.
Next is a closeup of the nice colour inside a boulder.

Then a very round one, & a cracked one!

These were a load of Asians posing, I'd hoped to get them Au Naturel, but they spotted me lining them up & posed. I got them later when they weren't looking, tho.

The tide's just coming in here, & then another log & gorse pic: There were Lots of logs :-)

The long log reminds me of the one I took at Allans Beach on the Otago Peninsula on New Year's day 2010. That's about 100 miles south of Moeraki.

More gorse & log, & then one I thought looked like one of those Chinese horse head sculptures?

Next a wormy/snaky thing, and then 1 kinda Alien monster?

As I was leaving the beach I took some pics of the info boards, but Wiki will tell you all about them, too.

The little blue chapel is in Moeraki village. It was late-ish, & the sun had virtually gone, but it was very sweet.
I was actually looking for a restaurant in Moeraki the girl at Chillawhile had recommended. From the outside it looked like a corrugated iron fishing shed, & I drove past it 3 times before giving up & searching out the Moeraki I-Site. This was on the edge of the village & was someone's house. The lady in charge was cooking tea when I called, & the I-Site office was in her kitchen! :-0 That's NZ for you. Brill :-))

Anyway I went back to the beach/port & found it. Here's some gewurtz & my starter. Yummylicious :-)

Then some pics from inside the restaurant &; on its little balcony. While I was eating a couple of English blokes came to the next table, & one was a complete 'know-all'. Turns out they were here supporting England & travelling about in-between games. When they found out I was alone, Know-all invited me to join them. I declined as gracefully as poss. I'd've strangled him if I'd had to converse. What a wazzock!

The next few are inside the restaurant and on its little balcony.

The main course was Titi. That's Maori for Muttonbird which is a kind of Shearwater for those Twitchers who're may want to know. It was very fishy & greasy: A bit like sardiney lamb. I've had worse things in my mouth: Like Natto in Japan - Yuk. Google it!

OK That's about it for today. After paying (expensive!) It was back into the little car & up the coast to Oamaru & Chillawhile Backpackers.

OAO

Riding the Waitaki Hills~21 Sep 2011

NB: This blog is an update from the original written in early 2012. I found the pics I thought I'd lost, so they're all in here now. 
After the ride from Twizell, I met up with Pete & we headed out on Denzel & Suzy. The pictures tell the story here, really. The first shows Pete & Denzel crossing a stream before heading up into the zig-zaggy valley. The sides were steepish & I got the ubiquitous "ears" pic!

  
Then the New Zealand sheep pic. Considering how many sheep there are supposed to be here, I thought a pic was in order ;-p

More ears & Denzel's bum,

And then a pic of where we'd just been. Like I said: steep :-)

I'd been riding up & down steep inclines with the reins in 1 hand & the Panasonic in the other so you could see the very hilly terrain we were riding in.
The next's of Peter & Denzel & the top, followed by a view of the Waitaki alluvial plain

I got another of the very beautiful Denzel, then I walked across to get another of the valley we'd ridden up (from R to L). I told you it was steep! Mucho Fun :-)) & yes, there's snow on them thar hills :-o

Then it was time to go down again. Pete's stables are down there somewhere? He pointed them out, but I've slept way too many times since . . . . . . . . . . . . . !

Next there's us giving the horses a breather after doing all that climbing for us. Beyond the hills in the background is the sea.

Back in the valley we gave the guys a drink. Suzy kept pawing like she was going to roll in it, hence I cut off Pete's head. Sorry Pete. And the pic doesn't do justice to Denzel's cuteness.

Unlike Bruce, Pete made me wear a hat!
You can see Suzy pawing in this one. And the fact she's not nearly so cute as Denzel!

Pete had the camera again, & these are me & Suzy walking thru the river. I asked Pete what it was, but either he didn't know or I forgot to write it down.
The 2nd looks a bit like we're cantering with an off lead, but it's just Suzy pawing again.

There are some totally awesome cliffs to the west of the river valley. They're in the background, & that's Pete & Denzel with my trademark framing trees - hahahahaha!
Suzy wouldn't stand very still, so this one of the cliffs is blurred, but you can get an idea of how tall & steep they were. Brilliant :-)

Check out the pine growing at an angle, all on its own. That was a normal sized tree!
I don't need to tell you those are Suzy's ears, but I'll tell you anyway.

Denzel & Pete having a trot is followed by one taken at the canter. The cliffs are a bit lower here.

And here's that pine that was in the distance a few pics ago. Big hills in Waitaki, eh?

 

Next is Suzy & Denzel checking out some cows who came to the fence to check us out! 
From Suzy's ears, she was Very interested in those cows :-p

 


We'd ridden up the zig-zaggy valley on the R, & up to the big lump on the left. Then we rode down in another zigzag before dropping into the valley you can't see because it's below the cliffs just behind the pylon.
What an awesome ride. Cheers, Pete :-))
Then it was off to Glenmac to meet Kaye, & the last pic in this blog is the view from my room with horses & rabbits, & an awesome tree in the field. Lovely :-))

More about my night at Glenmac in the next blog, but in case you never read the next one, if you're down Kurow way & need a bed, go & stay with Kaye.

OAO