New Zealand – Hitchhikers Guide to Boulders

Yesterday I picked up a couple of Hitchhikers………….!
Ok I can hear you shouting from here! So when you all stop telling me how dangerous that is, I’ll explain what happened.
I decided to visit the Moeraki Boulders and its a three hour drive from Mount Hutt. I got up fairly early, it felt like Autumn, cold and dewy but, it was also clear and fine.
I set off on the inland scenic route, I know I was scathing about it before but, it gets better and its a quiet road. I was traveling South towards Winchester (blink and you miss it) and eventually hit a main road. At about an hour to go I saw two Hitchhikers. I’ve seen a number on this trip and it’s a common way for people to travel here. Well these two looked a bit different being female and my age so I stopped and asked them where they where headed and it was the Moeraki Boulders! If I cannot handle a couple of middle aged women I don’t know who can!
Anyway it was a wonderful day! The Ladies Angelika (German) and Cristina (Italian) had only met the night before in a hostel. They were both travelling solo but had teamed up for a trip out. We got on like a house on fire.
We got to Moeraki and wandered down to a beautiful beach.

The boulders were formed in the sea and are concretions. So in lay terms that means they grew as a result of a chemical reaction that forms a lump (like dropping a dollop glue onto sand). When the land mass was pushed up out of the sea these were already embedded in it so what is happening now is as the mudstone cliffs are eroded by the sea they fall out and roll onto the beach. They are almost perfect spheres and inside there are veins of quartz calcite.

They are so remarkable and unusual that there are many Maori stories about them.
A friend said he thought they looked like dinosaur droppings when he saw the pictures! So I have invented the dinosaurs that left them, Rabbitasaurus (especially for Ellie and Ethan who I understand are following me).
The ladies bought me a coffee and I invited them to join me in visiting Katiki Reserve which was a bit further South.
I know there are yellow eyed penguins there but I was not likely to see any as they would be out at sea. What I did see however was amazing!

These are fur seals, young ones playing. The adults were lazing around all over the place. We also saw a large number of pied cormorants on the rocks and lots of penguin holes. I would have liked to stay till dusk to see the penguins but it was a long drive back.

I offered to return Angelika and Cristina to Omauru where they were staying. Before we set off we had a weird and wonderful picnic in the Snail. We shared, actually they shared because I was intending to eat out and had only bought snacks! So Angelika have me a cheese sandwich and Chistina had a sort of vegetable stew and because there was only one spoon she put a dollop of it onto the top of my sandwich. It was fantastic!

I discovered Cristina dances Argentine Tango and Angelica wants to learn Modern Jive. As Angelika was heading to Christchurch I was able to give her the details of the club I had danced at. We exchanged details, I dropped them back and headed to Mount Hutt for my last night.

When I got back I knocked on my neighbours door. Joan and Colin have been looking out for me all week. They are truly adventure before dementia. They are Australian, in there eighties they both have out lived their partners and are determined to squeeze every ounce out of life. They invited me in and gave me a huge glass of wine and got me squiffy. I made them forget their dinner (it went cold) so they ended up have only their desert! What a way to say goodbye!