Diamond Harbor, Akaroa and Barry (the cheese man)

 Nothing Better Than an Ocean View

06/10/23

Hey party people! I've been up to quite a bit these last few days so here's the update. 

To be entirely honest: I was getting pretty defeated about the job situation. I knew it wouldn't be a breeze finding a job in my field but I have been applying to A LOT with little response. My hopes were set pretty high for bird work and that just...hasn't happened yet. But, after taking a deep breath and re-realizing (thank you Jasmyn, Dad and Gma + Gpa), I'M IN FREAKING NEW ZEALAND AND I WORKED AT AVIS BUDGET ALL SUMMER TO TRAVEL, I started really getting out and exploring. I went to Diamond Harbor. I got stuck in Diamond Harbor. MJ and I planned a spontaneous kayaking trip in Akaroa. I bought a cheap plane ticket to Wellington. I am slowly but surely getting ok with the travelers timeline. What am I rushing a job for anyway??? I'M ROCKIN UNEMPLOYED BABY! I am Taylor (the traveler)! That was dramatic but you get the gist. 

Plus, I am starting to get familiar with this beautiful city.  On the way home, I can take the bus without using google maps. I can *kind of* bike around without turning into the wrong side of the road. It's exciting! Let's start with Diamond Harbor:

On Monday, I had regained a bit of my gusto and planned a day trip to Diamond Harbor. The Christchurch bus system is super rad because it also includes ferries! I hadn't ever been on a ferry before (except for maybe when I was little??) but I was stoked for the 10 minute boat ride that was $4. I got on the bus at around 9 and started my two hour bus journey to the Lyttleton Harbor. Cozied up with my book, I eventually landed in the quaint seaside town of Lyttleton. On the bus, I met a nice women named Kathy who was also a huge birder. She was from Sydney and in her tourist era so we decided to bird around the harbor together! We ported at the wharf and I was starving. Kathy and I stopped for some veggie burgers at the cafe and watched the house sparrows cause chaos below. 

After lunch, we looked around for a trailhead and eventually decided to go on the track that lined the coastal view. BEST DECISION. Here's me happy as a clam with my cool new vintage pants and me and Kathy braving the wind :)

We saw some silvereyes (lifer for Kathy), and of course tons of gulls. We hiked a good distance before turning back. The wind was blowing like crazy but the views were outstanding. We also noticed that the majority of the plants along the trail were traditional garden plants like daisies and aloe? Perhaps this could be due to the crazy winds picking up seeds from peoples' gardens. Truly was a sight to see! On the way back we decided to cut through the neighborhoods and we saw a couple cute fantails! No new birds for me that day but it was cool being familiar enough with the New Zealand species to point out a few for Kathy! 

Once we got back to the harbor, we got the news that the ferries were not running for the rest of the day due to the wind. They were bringing a bus over from Christchurch (a 30 minute drive) but they wouldn't be able to get the bus until another hour or so. But...THAT MEANT A SCENIC (FREE!!!) BUS TOUR AROUND THE PORT HILLS! Normally, the buses don't run that way so we kind of got special treatment! Needless to say, I was thrilled by this. Views for dayzzz. 

 Once we made it back, I said farewell to Kathy and headed back home. I made it back to Aranui around 6pm and was craving some salmon. I got lucky at Pak n' Save, found some for $12.39 and had the best salmon, rice and broccoli of my life. Success in Diamond Harbor! 

Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't do too much in terms of activities but I made time to walk through city center. I got o check up on the little pied cormorant babies in the botanical gardens and the new pop-up museum! Apparently, I missed a whole section of the garden last time so I walked through the North Island forest sections and the stunning daffodil woodland. And I got a dunnock (#35)! I also think I saw a pacific black duck (#35.5?) but am on the fence about if its a female mallard. If any of you bird nerds want to argue in the comments please do because I am scared of the eBird moderators (its the front duck that I think is PBDU). 

NOW FOR AKAROA AND THE CHEESE MAN! 

Thursday was an absolute BLAST. MJ had the day off and I had been wanting to go to Akaroa so we decided to take a day trip! We planned to kayak and check out the town; the weather was perfect for it. The drive down to Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula is about and hour and forty minutes from where we live, so we got a lot of good time to chat and catch up on the week. Along the way we stopped at Barry's Bay Cheese where we got free samples and got to watch workers separate the curds and whey. I don't know what it is about cheese, but it is such an interesting process I guess I had to go to two cheese factories within a span of a month! MJ and I bought our respective cheeses and then headed to kayak. 

Driving to Akaroa was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever done in my life. It was so diverse in scenery from mountains to forests to beach flats. We made it just in time to do a bit of shop perusal and then we got ready to 'yak! If I could kayak every day of my life I would. We also saw more cormorants!

After the kayaking adventure, we stopped for some delish Thai food and ice cream. I got prawn dumplings and a Tom Yum stir fry. MJ got some yummy glass noodles. With our stomachs full we continued on to Newton's Waterfall. It was a short hike up but the view was splendid. We also saw one of the kererū (New Zealand pigeon) in its natural forested habitat. Kererū  are ballers and kind of look like they would take your lunch money. Don't believe me? They are legit wearing a wrestling singlet. Look it up.

After the hike we went up a dodgy road to try and view the Akaroa lighthouse. MJ was an absolute unit trucking up the mountain roads and we eventually got up to the beautiful view of the Banks Peninsula. We saw a bunch of yellowhammers but apparently the lighthouse had been moved years ago to a spot in the center of town. We had a good laugh about it as we looked out at the horizon. It didn't even look real. Great day in Akaroa!

Today, I prepped for Wellington. I got travel stuff, caught up with laundry and made a little itinerary. As I was writing this my flight was delayed until 9 am so I will get to sleep in a bit later than I thought!  

Peace out!!