Transit's finally done, and I must say we were exceptionally lucky with the weather. I kept expecting the big waves and the wild seas but all we got was a little bit of swell /:). Have I said this before?! I have the worst luck when it comes to bad weather. It's true, every time we're in a really bad weather location and not shooting, (i.e. when the bad weather would be most welcome to provide some entertainment without screwing things up) it's all nice and calm, and then we start deploying cable and it all goes to shit :-<. 
Oh well, at least the deck was accessible throughout the trip across to New Zealand, despite some intensely chilly winds. Then finally, over a thousand miles after our last sighting of land, a couple of little humps appeared on the horizon. And so it is that the first bit of New Zealand I set eyes on was the rocky Solander Island. A perfectly respectable name I must say, especially when compared to the likes of Big Moggy Island, Mutton Bird Island and of course, Dog Island :|. Soon enough though, the bottom end of South Island came into view, through low heavy clouds, and it took us a while to realize that at the tops of the tallest peaks, there was actually some snow amongst the clouds!
The weather here in the Foveaux Strait is seriously insane though! It changes quicker than most people can change out of coveralls stinking of barnacles. It switches from bright sunny blue skies to dense low clouds that blot out all light and descend all around you in a blanket of torrential rain literally within seconds! The extremely high wind speeds and mountains close by would probably have something to do with that I suppose. Not to mention the not too subtle presence of Antarctica just over the horizon :|.
By and by our destination came into view, Bluff, the southern most town in New Zealand. Well, we could only actually see the bluff (hill) that it is named after until we actually turned into the rather shallow harbour with it's scarily narrow entrance :|. You can tell that the weather's a bit on the extreme side :) the windward side of the hill has absolutely nothing, not even roads!!
Anyway, we'll be here for a full day it seems, the harbour's tidal, so there's only two times a day that we can get in or out, and we've just missed the morning high tide :P. Well, I'm not complaining, might even get a chance to actually look around.
Currently: all excited :P
Listening to: Sheryl Crow - Ordinary morning
Oh well, at least the deck was accessible throughout the trip across to New Zealand, despite some intensely chilly winds. Then finally, over a thousand miles after our last sighting of land, a couple of little humps appeared on the horizon. And so it is that the first bit of New Zealand I set eyes on was the rocky Solander Island. A perfectly respectable name I must say, especially when compared to the likes of Big Moggy Island, Mutton Bird Island and of course, Dog Island :|. Soon enough though, the bottom end of South Island came into view, through low heavy clouds, and it took us a while to realize that at the tops of the tallest peaks, there was actually some snow amongst the clouds!
The weather here in the Foveaux Strait is seriously insane though! It changes quicker than most people can change out of coveralls stinking of barnacles. It switches from bright sunny blue skies to dense low clouds that blot out all light and descend all around you in a blanket of torrential rain literally within seconds! The extremely high wind speeds and mountains close by would probably have something to do with that I suppose. Not to mention the not too subtle presence of Antarctica just over the horizon :|.
By and by our destination came into view, Bluff, the southern most town in New Zealand. Well, we could only actually see the bluff (hill) that it is named after until we actually turned into the rather shallow harbour with it's scarily narrow entrance :|. You can tell that the weather's a bit on the extreme side :) the windward side of the hill has absolutely nothing, not even roads!!
Anyway, we'll be here for a full day it seems, the harbour's tidal, so there's only two times a day that we can get in or out, and we've just missed the morning high tide :P. Well, I'm not complaining, might even get a chance to actually look around.Currently: all excited :P
Listening to: Sheryl Crow - Ordinary morning
Big Moggy?! Mutton Bird???! Whatever was someone thinking?!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think they were :|
ReplyDelete