Earth pods

We left Oamaru for Moerki. We arrived in less than an hour, due south of Oamaru, on the South Pacific coast. We were there to see some unusual rocks along the beach. The rocks were a ways down from the car park, so we strolled slowly along the water line, looking at the shells and little creatures. We found some fabulous shells and grabbed enough for every student in Ms. Wilks' class. They are small curly ones with vibrant colors. We must have walked about 45 minutes before we came to the rocks. They seem very out of place, as if someone dropped them there from another part of the world. The Maori believe they were food baskets from the great canoe that brought their people here from the original land of Hawaiiki. They are almost perfectly round and made of a hard clay, segmented by a quartz type of material. (I was really wishing I'd paid better attention in Geology class.) As the clay erodes the quartz becomes much more pronounced. Eventually, they break open, and there were several lying about the beach. It's difficult to describe but fascinating to see.

After Moerki, we stopped in Palmerston for lunch. i had the old standby, fish 'n chips. And, as usual, they were great. From Palmerston we drove to Queenstown. Kim slept most of the way. I think the antihistamine is making her a little sleepy. Well, a lot sleepy, since she wasn't awakened by my driving!

In Queenstown, we got set up at a Holiday Park, then went out and met some nice kiwis. We got home a little late. It is our last night sleeping in the campa, as we turn it in tomorrow. We'll miss the old cruiza. It's been good to us.Read more