Seal Coast Safari; what a trip!

Saturday, 21 February
This was an absolutely FANTASTIC trip! Actually it was a positive day all around. I managed to get an assignment done on Power Point for the computer course, have lunch, take a 30 minute siesta on the sun deck, and in the early afternoon, join the 4 wheel drive for the ride to the coast. There was some sort of celebration in Wellington, itself, so the driver took some out of the way short cuts to avoid the City and it was a wonderful opportunity to see the "Brooklyn" section of town, pass the Botanic Garden, and the house where Katherine Mansfield was born, plus view all the varied architecture including some very old houses. It was like traveling in Switzerland, up one incline only to descend and mount another. Soon, we were out in the countryside covered with Gorse and other wild vegetation, up past a radar station with startling views of the seashore below. We saw ostriches and some other animals in the distance. When we finally got down to the seashore on our way to Tongue Point, where all the brown seals were sunning themselves, the road gave way to pebbles, sand drifts, rocks, hills, gulleys, water filled areas, etc. but our trusty driver "Billy" negotiated all of it without our actually tipping over, though we did seem to be headed for that more than once! It was a breathtaking 10 km, but seemed much longer. I took dozens of pictures of the seaside, the rock formations, the dashing waves, the red rocks (caused by iron deposits), and finally the seals. I will have to post them on my Facebook, since I cannot do it here. I was extremely lucky to be able to sit beside the young driver whose sister-in-law teaches at the Int. School in Horgen/Thalwil (I forget where it is), but the step up was so high that I almost couldn't lift myself to the seat. Thank goodness, I have been taking Yoga lessons, and my arms seem a little stronger now than previously.
Upon my retrun to the ship, I treated myself to a Sundae, which I ate out on the sundeck around the Neptune Pool, and then proceded to fall asleep for a short nap in the sunshine. Were we lucky!? Yesterday it was overcast and rainy here, and the tour people didn't see anything, and even had to turn back at one point because the water was too deep over what should have been a roadway. Also, they couldn't see anything in the distance of the fabulous scenery that we saw. Billy said I was very lucky because a red (something) butterfly landed on my jacket, and apparently they are very rare. One reason for the spectacular rock formations, etc. is that Wellington lies over a fault line, and there have been earthquakes in the area. Actually the whole of Napier, which we visited yesterday, was devastated in 1930/31, by an earthquake, and entirely rebuilt in ART DECO style with lots of Frank Llyod Wright designs, etc. The whole Community was decked out in stylish clothing from the late 1920's including lots of antique autos, etc. to celebrate the anniversary of the event.
Tomorrow is another busy day at Sea, and I have signed up to take a train trip to the Taieri Gorge in Dunedin on Monday.
Do you wonder that I have signed up for the next World CRuise with Crystal?!