Cozy Toes

A couple of rainy days certainly dropped the temperatures  - from 30s degrees while we were in Geraldine to a brrr – not sure how cold but my feet were feeling rather chilly.  Just as well I had a nice cozy pair of hand knitted woolly slippers.  These were a birthday gift from Sew Wot friend Mary, Just the thing for the caravan, I thought.  Thanks Mary.  Here I am, relaxing with a book, with nice warm cozy toes.  And you can just see the corner of my new caravan quilt peeping out.

Cozy Toes

“Hearts in Bloom” quilt on the bed in our caravan

I have to admit that I’ve only had time for a little stitching – not really enough to show just yet.  But I am up to date with my latest Memory Travelling quilt blocks, and this particular one is made up with New Zealand themed fabric.  Yes, I know I’ve made a couple of these before from earlier trips, but they are fun to do and when finally completed, full of wonderful travel memories.

Yet another memory travel quilt

So what have we been up to lately on our South Island caravan trip?  We are continuing to travel southwards and spent several days at Moeraki.  Two things were top of the list here, to visit the  Moeraki Boulders, and to have a long awaited meal at Fleurs Place Restaurant.

The Moeraki Boulders appear so mystical and unusual, lying about on the beach like giant bowling balls.  The local Maori tradition says that the boulders are the flotsam cast from the wreck of the voyaging canoe Arai-te-uru, which foundered while travelling south in search of greenstone.   The car park was fairly full, and the beach was alive with people looking at, photographing and clambering over the boulders.

They are in fact known as septarian concretions, formed over millions of years on the sea floor.  The seabed was uplifted to form coastal cliffs, which have eroded over time, and the boulders have tumbled onto the beach. There are big boulders, baby sized, some showing the various segments, and others which have split open.  We have been here several times, and never tire of looking at these wonders of natures.

Wonderful Moeraki Boulders

A meal at Fleurs Place at Moeraki Village has been on my “Bucket List” for such a long time and now I can finally tick it off. The restaurant was established on an early whaling station site in 2002 and was built from gathered collectables and demolition materials from all over New Zealand.  One of the quirky things we noticed about the restaurant was the fact that the interior woodwork is covered with messages from happy customers.

Our meals arrived, and as expected, tasted superb. My choice was blue cod wrapped in bacon, cockles cooked in the shell, served with a delicious creamy sauce and vegetables.  Robin chose lamb shanks, mash and vegetables.  Next was the big question about dessert – shall we or shan’t we?  Why not, we decided, it is an occasion, after all.  The beautifully presented desserts duly arrived, Crème Brule for me, and Meringue Ice-cream Cake for Robin, with coffee to follow.

Wonderful food, and so happy to finally dine here

And what else have we been doing?  Checking out some of the local wildlife.  Just look at this cute little face!

Baby seal on the rocks

And then we walked along a steep and windy track to see the Katiki Point Lighthouse.   The lighthouse was built after several accidents on the dangerous reefs and the light first shone from here on 22nd April 1878.  The wooden tower stands 8m high and 58m above sea level, and the light can be seen for 10 nautical miles.  The original lens operated with a 1000 watt lamp, but was fully automated in 1975 and the lighthouse keeper withdrawn from service.  They are such iconic buildings, and they must all have interesting tales to tell.

Katiki Point Lighthouse

Next stop is Dunedin, where we will be spending Christmas.  More later…….