nzflag(1).gif (9615 bytes)        S/V TETHYS

Touring New Zealand by Car
December 2000, February, March 2001
Kaikoura                                                                                                                   Scenic Coast
Driving down the coast from Picton to Kaikoura, we spotted our first New Zealand fur seal colony.
Kaikoura fur seal (9464 bytes) Fur seal colony (26051 bytes)
Walking along the cliffs of Kaikoura looking down at the rocky shoreline. We're glad we came here by car. There aren't many safe anchorages along this rock strewn coast. View from Kaikoura cliffs (10424 bytes)
Rambo (16675 bytes) Lots of sheep around here. The handsome specimen on the left is a ram with a yellow tag on his ear marked 'Rambo'!

He was eyeing the ewes in the area.

 One of NZ 40,000,000 sheep (27091 bytes)
The two hills along this shore are called the 'Rhino Horns'. Rhino Horns (10197 bytes)
Jellyfish (20085 bytes) Walking along the pebble beach we spotted the Pied Shag on the right. Paula says this is a pied shag because of the yellow around the eyes. Can you see this?

On the left is an absolutely clear jelly fish. This specimen measures about 12 inches in diameter. You can see the pebbles through its body.

 Pied Shag (5700 bytes)
Fyfe House. The oldest standing house in Kaikoura.

The original builder of Fyfe House found a skeleton of a man buried with a huge moa egg in his arms. The moa egg is in the Te Papa museum at Wellington.

 Fyfe House (8808 bytes)
Fyfe House (16096 bytes) Fyfe House wild flower garden is in front of the oldest part of the house. The L is a later addition. The foundation of this section of the house is made of whalebone. The cutout shows a piece of whalebone acting as a house post. Next to it is a piece of whale backbone.

Fyfe House whalebone footings (15618 bytes)
Full rigged ship painting (15365 bytes) Inside the Fyfe House is a print of a ship under full sail including studding sails aloft and alow. Vlad says that we have lost the knowledge of how this feat was actually accomplished.
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