Live nude seals

On our visit to Farewell Spit, we hiked to Wharariki Beach where we encountered a group of seals who put on quite a show. Enjoy!

Our first visitor...

As most of you know, my mom is here for a visit. We are having a grand time. We have spent time in Kaikoura, Puponga and Farewell Spit, Nelson, and Christchurch. Tomorrow we are off to Hanmer Springs for the weekend. Not much time for writing but we can at least share a few pictures.

Arthur's Pass

A wonderful day up in the alpine splendour of the Southern Alps helped us ring in the new year of 2010. One of the highlights was our encounters with the world's only alpine parrot. That's right, an alpine parrot. The kea is a big bird and, as they are ubiquitously called in these parts, very cheeky. They will come up to you sipping a latte at a cafe and literally steal the fork off your plate just for a few avian giggles. Beware!! Also, don't leave your windows open too far when you go on your day hike. Upholstery is very susceptible to parrot beaks. The lupine was stunningly in bloom and the Waimakarari River was braided with a fresh melting of snow and a recent nor'wester storm. Nature truly rules in these parts. Also, the waterfall was a wonderful reward for a brief day hike which Miss M. managed with only an incidental bribe of ice cream. Oh, and did we mention that the day started off at 33 degrees Celsius and ended at 15 degrees. All this in the span of about six hours. Never a dull moment....