Cruisin' with the Chaplain

Thursday was a bright, sunny and warm Spring day in Dunedin. The lilacs are getting ready to bloom. We climbed the world’s steepest street (according to “Guinness”) and then drove out on the really windy, very narrow coastal road on the Otago Peninsula. White-knuckle time! Remember, we are driving on the other side of the road!
In Taiaroa Head we climbed aboard a “Natures Wonders” 8-wheeled ATV with 4 other adventurers and our driver/guide. Hang on! Talk about a white-knuckle ride! One of the destinations was a breeding ground of the New Zealand Fur Seal – the pups were sleeping or playing and some of the bulls were returning from the ocean and challenging each other. It’s all in the wild with no human intervention. This is one picture. We have more great seal pictures than you can imagine!

What a windy day! The plains can be very windy and today was exceptionally so! In Oamaru we met a local stonecutter who sculpts the native limestone. The dolphins in the photo will be finding a new home with us in the parsonage.
An evening arrival in Dunedin, a very Scottish city with loads of lovely Victorian buildings, and we will be staying in one of them! It’s a Bed and Breakfast just up the hill from Speights Brewery.

This city is the main taking-off point for Antarctic exploration! We spent some time at the Antarctic Center – got a ride on a Haaglund ATV (notice the hat – GO SOX!) and then became acquainted with the world’s smallest penguins, the Blue Penguins – they max out at 1 Kilogram!
It’s early Spring here – the roses aren’t blooming yet, but there is still some magnificent color in the azaleas and other early bloomers.

The flight from Auckland on Monday was smooth and just 1 ½ hours. We flew over snow-capped mountains, and landed on the Canterbury plains. We picked up our car from John at Trusty Car Rentals – he was great – lots of good advice, warnings about bad Kiwi drivers, and even a “Look Left” sticker for the steering wheel!
We had a room at the YMCA – that’s better than it sounds! Great location across from the Botanical Gardens and the Arts Center in Christchurch.

Hi, everyone. We are doing great! We have had wonderful experiences and we have words and pictures ready to post. We're hoping to find a Wi Fi location soon. Until then, Ruth and Ed