Takaka

So you'll probably notice I keep throwing the name Marielle around in this entry. I think as you read you'll get an idea of what she's like and it's always better to show rather than tell.
So Marielle and myself decided to go to Takaka as it sounded worth visiting and the hostel has free use of bicycles. Being our first day and not knowing the area we just cycled to the nearest beach. We could see a few black shapes on the horizon but couldn't see any details and so thought nothing of it. Then a local woman told us they were three stranded sperm whales and we'd be able to see them when the tide was out. After an interlude of cycling and honesty box shopping we were back on the same beach wondering what to do. We decided to leave and return in a few hours when I decided to take a picture before we went. As my phone has no zoom I went into the water to get slightly closer and found it wasn't deep at all. I started walking out further to get a closer picture and I realised I'd be able to get right up to them as the tide was going out. At some point Marielle who was waiting for me on the beach to take a picture decided to follow me. So how to describe such an experience? Well of course it is tragic that three beautiful mammals should meet this end but it was a truly fascinating experience. The whales feel like rubber but you can tell they are real animals because there is blood running from the wounds. They also were covered in scratches that had healed over time. I guess living in the ocean can be tough. The real interesting part is the mouth. They have teeth on the top but not the bottom. They can just swallow animals such as octopus whole so there's no need for chewing. Also of note is the eyes which are small and hard to spot. Everything about whales is on a bigger scale but there's no need for eyes to get bigger if they already see everything like ours. We had some speculation on what their final moments were like before leaving. By this point the beach was full of locals who had all been sharing the news with each other. We told Seymore back at the hostel mainly because he knows everything and could fill us in on the facts. Did you know a dead whale is an environmental hazard because whales are full of oil? Well we do now.
The following day we didn't have any big plans but Seymore had organised a day trip with some guys in the hostel and said we should totally join. We were in the back of the second car with Seymore in the front passenger seat telling us everything there is to know about plants, weather, wind turbines, anything of importance. He is a better tour guide than any guide I've ever had. He led us through a delightfully warm swamp and a beach with sand that was perfect for joyfully running over. There were weirdly shaped limestone rocks which Marielle took some good photos of. While we were at the beach Marielle and I filled a plastic bag with muscles to eat later but no baby muscles. Were not monsters! Overall a superb day. You really do see more with Seymore.
The rest of our time was spent cycling to the best attractions in the area which were whatever Seymore had recommend. We have explored caves, examined lichens (she's into lichens), swam in a streams and listened to a tui that sounded like a plasma rifle (pew pew). The hostel owner Joules directed us to a lovely forest walk past a small hydraulic power station which was awesome. Joules is aptly named as she is full of energy like us.
Now all I need to mention is a fellow who travels under the name of Eli. Now Eli talks in such a compelling way that you don't realise how weird he is as he tells you about all the highlander/vampire/dinosaur erotica that has been published. Oh and he does a a perfect impression of agent smith from the matrix. There were bouts of hysterical laughter interspersed with awkward moments.
It is worth mentioning that we now have a tent and sleeping bags and are currently camping in Kaiteriteri waiting to rejoin the kiwi experience bus. I think that's everything.
Oh wait I forgot to mention that the kiwi birds can kill each other with kung fu kicks. They are being decimated by possums and stoats yet still they feel the need to kung fu kick kick each other to the death. They really are as stupid as they look.