Kaiteriteri

Having just had a remarkable and perfect day I can see exactly why Connie devoted so much of her diary to this area. On one hand it is quite like the west coast of Scotland at Arisaig which she so loved but you have to add sun, azure sea, subtropical bush, and sandy beaches and coves that seem to go on for ever. This day more than any other made me contemplate the differences between then and now. Then, I think that destination was what mattered, now, it is the journey. Then, they took time to savour the experience to enquire about and remember the details , now we see the spectacle, experience the thrill of a short engagement with the place and the achievement of having been there. I wonder if as a humanitarian, and as an arts crafts follower she would be able to see how in sacrificing the depth that was enjoyed by a few privileged individuals then, we now can offer this experience to the much wider and international community now.

One great excitement today was when our catamaran tourist boat was joined by a dolphin riding in front of one of our twin bows. He - or maybe she- had so much fun swimming at speed on its side, upside down and rolling over and we passengers were allowed on to the bow of our boat to take turns to watch. When we eventually speeded up the dolphin went under the boat and re surfaced at the stern leaping in the wake of the boat before finally giving up. For us it seemed very special but in reality I think it happens almost every day. We also saw some baby seals but at Arisaig they are so much closer and more numerous.

Our boat visited all the bays and island that Connie mentioned but I didn't get ashore. I did however decide to get off the boat and walk one section of the long Nelson walkway. I chose the section described as the most beautiful but what it didn't say was that it was also the steepest. taking so much time in photography I decided I would have to really push on if I was to get to the boat pick-up in time, only to discover that I had actually done it in far loess than the allocated time. Surely i will have a lost a few pounds there! But striding through the bush, even if I didn't have time to sit and stare and sketch and contemplate, I was accompanied all the way by the songs of the cicadas and the occasional burst of song from the bell-birds and the frequent interruptions of the cascading streams bursting their way through mossy rocks and fallen logs.

Now I have been asked to give a talk to students at Dunedin art School in 3 days time . I am in the far north of the south island and that is is in the south so now it means a couple of days hard driving. Connie travelled this part by boat so it is also a blank in her diary.

I will be back in touch soon