Halloween

James and I made a Jack 'o' lantern. This is the first one I ever made with a pumpkin and it was much trickier than I expected. When I was a boy my Dad always made them using a turnip.

With the lights out and a candle inside it looked pretty good.

Whitebaiting

Despite the cold wind, there were a few dedicated fishermen including these whitebaiters who walked slowly through chest deep waters for a handful of fish.

Cloudy Bay

In the afternoon we drove out to the mouth of the Wairau River in Cloudy Bay. It was a wild windy day. 

Hurricane

Today we visited the Omaka aircraft museum near Blenheim. This is a great collection of aircraft from WWI with the exhibits arranged in lifelike dioramas.

Outside are a couple of aircraft from WWII including this RAF hurricane. Peter Jackson is a collector of vintage aircraft and is heavily involved in running this museum.

The rumour is that eventually the museum will expand with a new hangar to house WWII aircraft. the centrepiece will be a full sized replica Lancaster bomber that has been made for the Dambusters remake.  

Hangin' Out

A great afternoon was had by all. 

Hammock

The lovely gardens behind the lodge are full of hammocks!. James liked playing in this king sized one with his Mum and me. 

Tame Pukeko

This pukeko was quite tame and ate grass from our hands. He did give James a little nip though.

Lochmara Lodge

Tracy shows James how to use the tyre swing. 

Another Boat Trip

Today we took a boat trip over to Lochmara Lodge for an explore and a spot of lunch. 

Giant Squid

Back at Picton we went to the aquarium where they have a pickled giant squid. I have been fascinated by these since I was a kid so it was great to see a real one even if it was dead. These squid live in the deep waters around New Zealand and grow up to 20m long. This one is just a baby at 5m long (including the tentacles). 

Nice Spot for Lunch

The lodge at Portage is a lovely idyllic spot for a quiet lunch. 

Kite Flying

Tracy bought a kite for James which we had great fun flying.

Portage

Today we drove out to Portage Bay in Kenepuru sound. Before lunch we played on the beach. 

Station Master

James can't get enough of the miniature train. When not riding on it, he is playing at being the signal man. 

Sailing

After the big walk yesterday we are spending the day at the park. We raced these little wooden sailing boats. It reminded me of the two wooden boats Sarah and I had as kids. 

Fast Boat

You've Got Mail

The boat we travelled back on doubles as a mail boat delivering post to all the remote homesteads scattered throughout the sound. On the way home we visited several of these to deliver and collect mail. The boat doesn't actually stop it just pulls along close enough to the jetty to allow the mail to be handed over.

James thought this was fantastic and playing 'mail boats' is his new favourite game. 

Furneaux Lodge

At the end of the walk was this lovely old hotel where we had a much needed cold drink.

Fern

I was happy, there were ferns everywhere. 

Mud

James did great. He walked almost the entire 10km and had a great time doing it. He did like being carried over the mud by Mum though. 

View From the Track

The views from the track were fantastic. Beautiful bush clad mountains, sheltered coves and calm blue water. 

Treat

This weka was very lucky, he got half of Tracy's banana. 

Weka

On the way we came across several tame Weka. James fed this one by banging the ground with his stick which disturbed plenty of yummy grubs and insects. 

Resolution Bay

Next the boat took us to Resolution Bay. At the end of the jetty we fed slices of bread to the fishes. Fishing in the sounds is banned to allow the fish stocks to recover. There were heaps of blue cod thrashing wildly as they chased after the bread.

From this point we set out on a walk, a 10km section of the Queen Charlotte track. James has never walked so far before but we had plenty of food and water and five hours before the boat left. 

Cook Memorial

Another boat picked us up and took us to Ship Cove. Captain Cook visited this spot several times to take on supplies and make repairs to his ship. 

View from Motuara Island

This is the view out to the open sea. The North Island could be seen from this point.

The platform is sited at the point where Captain Cook claimed ownership of New Zealand for the British Empire.