Tuesday, May 03, 2005
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
- Otis Redding
Dr.Richard Kimble rang at four in the morning to cancel. No, too rough. Gale force winds, I’ll call again at 9.
Bitchin’. I’d been looking forward to this all week. Five of us were set to sail Cook Strait to the Marlborough Sounds but if it was likely the voyage was to turn out like the first episode of The Lost Islands then I was happy to leave it. The phone rang at 9 but it wasn’t the skipper, rather Miss E. expressing her disappointment at not being able to get across. Damnit, I said, never let weather get in the way of a good weekend, lets grab the unicorn by the by the horn and get across any way we can! And so with stirring music in the background I called around and secured two cheapish flights to Picton. The weekend had begun.
Once we’d blasted through the cloud the weather gods smiled and allowed us stunning views as we soared above the sounds.
Half an hour later the man with the most unpleasant teeth in the southern hemisphere was driving us to Anakiwa offering tasty anecdotes on everything from Scott Watson (“threatened me with a knife once”) to bad drivers (“Germans: the worst”). But he got us there in one piece and wow, what a place. I’d never been to Anakiwa before but from what I’ve seen it’s the prettiest bay in the sounds. Take a look!
And that was pretty much the view from the bach where, for the next three days, I did nothing but sit, think, read, relax and chat. It was great actually, nice company, nice place, clean air, clean living. Miss E. even went for a swim which I wasn’t quite up to, but I did do a couple of hours of the Queen Charlotte walkway that I’d like to do more of, someday.
I thought a lot about what the future may hold, but almost every question I answered seemed to lead on to so many more, so I simply lost track and watched oystercatchers wade into the water. They have very bright beaks you know.
And then all too fast it was over and ‘jaws’ was driving us back to Picton, a little quieter this time, perhaps having used all his anecdotes on the outward journey. We arrived back to Wellington on the ferry to be greeted by a howling southerly which is still thrashing around outside today. But it was a great weekend, thank you Miss E. it was just what I needed.
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
- Otis Redding
Dr.Richard Kimble rang at four in the morning to cancel. No, too rough. Gale force winds, I’ll call again at 9.
Bitchin’. I’d been looking forward to this all week. Five of us were set to sail Cook Strait to the Marlborough Sounds but if it was likely the voyage was to turn out like the first episode of The Lost Islands then I was happy to leave it. The phone rang at 9 but it wasn’t the skipper, rather Miss E. expressing her disappointment at not being able to get across. Damnit, I said, never let weather get in the way of a good weekend, lets grab the unicorn by the by the horn and get across any way we can! And so with stirring music in the background I called around and secured two cheapish flights to Picton. The weekend had begun.
Once we’d blasted through the cloud the weather gods smiled and allowed us stunning views as we soared above the sounds.
Half an hour later the man with the most unpleasant teeth in the southern hemisphere was driving us to Anakiwa offering tasty anecdotes on everything from Scott Watson (“threatened me with a knife once”) to bad drivers (“Germans: the worst”). But he got us there in one piece and wow, what a place. I’d never been to Anakiwa before but from what I’ve seen it’s the prettiest bay in the sounds. Take a look!
And that was pretty much the view from the bach where, for the next three days, I did nothing but sit, think, read, relax and chat. It was great actually, nice company, nice place, clean air, clean living. Miss E. even went for a swim which I wasn’t quite up to, but I did do a couple of hours of the Queen Charlotte walkway that I’d like to do more of, someday.
I thought a lot about what the future may hold, but almost every question I answered seemed to lead on to so many more, so I simply lost track and watched oystercatchers wade into the water. They have very bright beaks you know.
And then all too fast it was over and ‘jaws’ was driving us back to Picton, a little quieter this time, perhaps having used all his anecdotes on the outward journey. We arrived back to Wellington on the ferry to be greeted by a howling southerly which is still thrashing around outside today. But it was a great weekend, thank you Miss E. it was just what I needed.
