Cape Palliser

After all the hustle and bustle of the city and the many teens in hotpants, I now need some peace and other beautiful pictures. I will get both today...I leave Wellington heading northeast, follow SH 2 over a small pass (which, by the way, many routes here are beautiful for motorcycle tours..) until Featherstone and then turn towards Cape Palliser. Through endless fields full of sheep, the road finally leads to the sea and then continues along the slope towards the east. I reach Ngawi, where there is a small seal colony. I approach the shoreline cautiously and gradually discover more and more seals. With their brown fur, they are perfectly camouflaged for this rock. I only notice a seal 2m diagonally below me when it gets too warm for her and she waddles back into the sea. The other seals watch me from time to time, but then prefer to doze in the sun. By the way: seals are super cute, but the colony smells like a puma cage. I continue to the goal of the tour, the lighthouse at Cape Palliser. This is the southernmost point of the North Island, perfect as a starting point for the tour around. There are 250 steps to climb, a piece of cake...I still take 2 steps at a time for the first third, then I slow down a bit, and when I reach the top, an older man offers to help me...I guess I should start training...

First, I have to go back for 1 hour, then the path leads me further to Martinborough. I refuel (always half full in NZ!!) and get some groceries, including a bottle of white wine, 2018 The Luminary from Martinborough, which I haven't found on the internet yet, but it goes well with the daily report.

I want to visit a small campsite by the sea in Akitio, which can only be reached through a 30 km long valley. I deliberately choose small, winding roads for the route so that I can sing loudly with Freddie Live at the Opera for 2 hours (just before leaving, Christoph, Katharina and I were in the new movie... great and very moving!!) before we reach the sea. The place is a hit, there are only about 5 permanent campers there, I park by the wall by the sea, which is about 10m away. For dinner, I sit on a deserted beach, the waves break about 50m away, and I just enjoy the moment. Tonight, I won't leave the window open, but the rear hatch instead...

Tomorrow, I will either continue or just stay here, we'll see. In 8 days, I want to reach the northern tip of the island and then drive back along the west coast.

One more word for Mike and Dennis: Tina told me about you, I wish you a heartfelt recovery and a speedy recovery. Take care, regards Michael