Cherries to Dunedin

     So, after our recharge we set out to head South towards the ocean with a plan to do another epic little road trip before the Christmas crowds.   Well, when you are on the road plans change all the time, sometimes daily, other times hourly.  We never know what we will get ourselves into.  We literally drove 27km towards the ocean before we found ourselves signed up for a week of picking cherries in the small town of Cromwell. 
      The owner was nice, the cherries were tasty, the pay was decent, and the company was friendly.  We had a little community of cherry pickers!!  The week was great we made some friends and a little bit of money and then headed out again towards the ocean.  This time for a short road trip with a return to picking cherries for the future.
    We set off for Dunedin, a harbor city with a thriving University. On our way we went to a sweet bay where there were surfable waves for both of us.  We were happy to be on the road again.  We went into Dunedin the following day for the Saturday market.  While we were there we ran into our English friends on the street.  New Zealand is small.  We had a chicken roast with them in honor of Thanksgiving.  It was their first Thanksgiving and it was our first Thanksgiving without a turkey, which by the way a turkey is nearly impossible to find here in New Zealand.  With our friends we checked out the the Otago Pennisula,with its rare New Zealand Sea Lions and the flying Royal Albatross, and a great Museum in Dunedin before saying our goodbyes to head in opposite directions.
    We set off for the Catlins Conservation Coast.  Where we just spent the last week enjoying the rugged coastline sights and tranquil camping.  We liked it so much we did the scenic drive twice!!  In the Catlins we saw the rare and endangered yellow-eyed penguin come on the beach in the evening to rest.  We enjoyed several bush walks to waterfalls and several coastal walks to view the sweet as coast.  One memorable coastal walk was the one to the Cathedral Caves where I stepped into some fresh seal poo that squished between my toes. It was traumatizing. After recovering from the seal-poo experience we headed back to Dunedin to check out what we missed before going back to the world of cherries.