Dolphins, seals and penguins again

You can't go anywhere down here without bumping into wild life. It's really quite cool.

Dad got back from the North Island today. It sounds like Shirley & Tom and Len & Val really looked after him. Joanne and I both really appreciate how welcome they made him. He went fishing, saw the sun rise, had dinner at the top of the Sky Tower, went to the glow worm caves at Waitomo and saw some kiwis (the birds, not the people - well, the people too, I guess). And that's just the stuff he's had time to tell us.

We picked Dad up from the airport this morning and headed into town. We'd promised him breakfast at Drexels, Joanne's favourite breakfast place in the whole world. He wasn't disappointed. The waitresses were impressed he managed all three banana pancakes.

After breakfast we headed on over Banks Peninsula to Akaroa. It's the first time we'd been back since we took the Hyundai for a test drive back in August. It rained that day too. I'm struggling to believe Akaroa exists when it's not raining, you know. I've heard it's a lovely place when the sun's out, but I reckon it's all a local conspiracy. Still, it's not a bad place to visit, even when it's grey and wet. Atmospheric, they call it.

We'd booked ourselves on the BlackCat harbour cruise. I still get blown away by the Nuzziland scenery. It's just stunning, even when the sky's gloomy. Add in dolphins, seals and the occasional penguins and the two hour boat trip was well worth the money. I just love seeing the creatures in their natural environments.

We definitely have to go back to Akaroa when it's sunny. Maybe take a kayak out or something.

Yesterday was a fun evening. It was Sarah's 30th birthday party. A pop star fancy dress party with added lip-sync performances from a plucky few. We had Abba, the Village People, Elvis, a memorable Flashdance number and a bit of Madness. And more than a bit of madness. Joanne and I didn't perform but we did get dressed up. Joanne went as the blonde one from Abba (Agnetha is it?) and I put a cowboy hat on to complete my transformation into Garth Brooks. Bit of a cop-out, I know, but lots of people guessed who I was, which was surprising. Si and Bek went as Justin Timberlake and Amy Winehouse. Other people were Pink or Posh Spice or Bob Dylan or JK or many others. I was well impressed with people's effort.

I so hope the weather clears up soon. We need good weather for Monday and Tuesday for Dad's last week.