Thursday 26th Riverstone & Penguins

First task this morning was to sort out some of our luggage and the various items that had collected in the car. Instead of his and hers cases we determined to use as unisex cases for the next couple of days and just use one. Getting ready for departure back to the UK which is only two days away now.

We then had a look around the old town and visited the area where the yellow eyed penguins have their colony. However, they were all out fishing and the lone wildlife on the beach was a bull seal and some Chinese tourists who were getting too close to the seal in our opinion.

On our way to Riverstone for lunch we stopped to fill up at the local BP station. The lady attendant was bemused by a young Chinese couple who seemed to speak very little english and the attendant was trying to explain to then that they had to pay inside and that it was important to remember the pump number. She then turned to me a told a story about how she had always wanted to visit Paris and her mother had promised to take her there but they were put off by not understanding a word of French. It transpired that her motivation for visiting Paris was that her favourite song was The Ballad of Lucy Jordan (originally Dr Hook but more famously in the UK, Marianne Faithfull) in which the singer laments that she always wanted to "drive through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair".  There was an attempt to sing as a duo but it didn't last long!

Riverstone is some 15 Km north of Oamaru and we arrived early so that the LLW had plenty of time to wander around the garden and the rather bizarre shops selling a strange selection of goods.

We even encountered a Pea Hen with four chicks.

All very entertaining but it was now time for lunch. The Riverstone Kitchen is a lovely restaurant but is very casual and caters for all types of trade. For example several people came in just for take away coffees and children arrived for ice cream.

The LLW wife had more substantial fare on her mind and quickly gravitated to the Feasting Menu which consists of six courses and has apparently replaced the multi course tasting menu which we have had before. It was superb and we enjoyed it so much that we asked to talk to the chef Bevan Smith (who is quite a celebrity chef in NZ) and who we had seen working feverishly in the kitchen. He was clearly just one of the team and there was no sign of a pecking order in his kitchen. He was charming and clearly delighted that we rated his food so highly. Riverstone cooking is relatively simple but they have a way with fresh ingredients and flavours that just works brilliantly.

Time for a rest back at out motel before going down to the headland to observe the blue penguins returning from their daily fishing trip.