Resting our Old Bones at Old Bones Lodge

Monday 7 April

A beautiful day to go exploring in Oamaru - from our lovely base at Old Bones Lodge.

After a gorgeous sunrise we eventually got ourselves together and I headed out for a walk along the somewhat defunct coast road whilst Louis cycled in the opposite direction to Kakanui & its estuary.

Beach Road has not been repaired or opened since landfill was excavated from here to prevent coastal erosion washing the rubbish and contaminants into the sea. Hard to believe that these spots were used as fly tipping sites for generations.

Meeting up after our separate excursions we decided to cycle along the collapsed Beach Road into town - luckily at the two landslip areas there was a small track behind the bulwarks, so you could walk or cycle along the closed road.

Thanks to Google we decided to grab lunch at The Galley - a neat rusted iron building next to the harbour with great views out to sea. Louis went for the chicken burger which he declared to be one of the best ever, while I had the crispy chicken and brie salad with crunchy noodles cos it had looked fab online - and it was delicious!

Whilst we were at the harbour, we checked out the Steampunk themed play area with its funky swings, slides & roundabouts, then cycled round to the penguin area - spotted several seals but no penguins at this time of day. Sumpter Wharf along the way is now a designated breeding ground for cormorants - the Otago shag - with over 500 breeding pairs calling this pier home.

Next stop was Holmes Wharf to the northern side of the harbour. It must have been busy back in the day as there were 3 train tracks running out along the wharf (careful to avoid them with our bike tyres!) - but currently it was peaceful enough for a large seal to be taking a siesta on the rocks at the end! At the head of the wharf is the official end of the Alps2Ocean cycle trail which we have encountered several times in our travels. We got a cheeky photo there and sent it to Susan & Mark for a wind up! Down on the beach a young lad had landed some kind of shark and was busy trying to unhook it so that he could send it back to the sea - probably quite a shock to reel in something this big so close to shore.

Pottering around town for a spot of sightseeing , it was surprisingly warm for the time of year - shorts and T-shirt weather - and we made the most of the sunshine visiting the Victorian quarter and pretending again to complete the Alps2Ocean cycle trail!

Back at the ranch we had booked a hot spa pool to soak in which was a wonderful tonic for our weary old bones and we sat out in nature, wax eyes, chaffinches, swallows and tui swooping around us as we relaxed in the heat.

Dinner in Banjo as the autumnal weather blew back in around us - though there were some clear skies through which to see the stars ✨