It’s not too far to Parnassus

Morning tea at Kaikoura was courtesy of Geoff C who kindly whipped up a batch of sultana scones for us all.  These were made on top of the gas hot plate, cooked to perfection in his handy “Bessemer” cast aluminium cookware.

Fresh scones for morning tea

All fed and watered, we were soon underway, continuing on our journey following the coastal road south along the rugged coastline.  The road took us through several tunnels hacked out of solid rock.

Twin tunnels cut through the rock

Pulling over at a rest area for lunch on the coast road, we were kept entertained by the many seals which were feeding just offshore.  One was resting on a rock just below where we were parked, and he was hauled out just far enough .to be out of the range of the crashing surf.

Having a mid-day snooze

What a great view

One of the “Whale Watch” boats was buzzing around, no doubt showing the customers the many seals in the area.  Presumably the whales would be much further out to sea.  There is an abundance of marine life in this area, all attracted by the nutrient rich waters which rise up 1000 metres from Kaikoura’s Grand Canyon.  Sperm whales and migrating humpback whales are often seen, and dolphins and seals are quite abundant.  We watched as the skipper manourvered the boat around the rocks.,

One of the Whale Watch boats

The road left the coast behind and we travelled through the pine covered Hundalee hills, arriving at Parnassus a short time later.  This tiny settlement takes its name from a local sheep run owned by a classical scholar, Edward Lee. He saw a likeness between a local hill and the Greek Mount Parnassus, mythical home of the god Apollo and the Muses.  The attraction here is the NZMCA grounds available to members as a low cost park.  There were about a dozen different sized caravans and motor-homes staying overnight at this isolated rural property set in the grounds of a disused school.   

Plenty of room for us four

There are no onsite staff at this facility, and the very reasonable payment is to be lodged in the “Iron Maiden”.  Now, let’s see, have we got the right money?    That’s lucky, we have just the right amount.

Paying at the Iron Maiden