Journeys with Julie: Sawdust and Sea Lions

Today, I'm wrapping up another special seaside stay, this time a week-long stay with a couple, named Jack and Ester, who run a B&B in Surat Bay, outside of the town of Owaka. It was a week of both work and play. The first project was probably my least favourite job of my time so far in NZ—spending three days vacuuming the results of a sawdust disaster. A visitor who'd been working in Jack's workshop had left the cover off one of the machines and the result was a thick coating of sawdust on literally everything. It meant climbing up on ladders and scaffolding to get at shelves and rafters; emptying the contents of hundreds of jars (nails, screws, bolts, etc.), vacuuming them, and replacing everything; and sorting through all sorts of stored, dusty belongings. Fortunately, Jack and Ester were super thoughtful, providing earplugs, a face mask, and overalls to face the noise and dust. And it was quite satisfying to see the finished product and get to move on to outdoor work the following days.

Some of Ester's beautiful flowers

In between working, there was plenty to see and do. Jack and Ester live right beside Surat Bay, a long stretch of beach that's home to dozens of Hooker sea lions, the world's rarest sea lions. A number of times, I walked along the beach to watch the huge creatures (that can weigh up to 450kg!) Most of the time, they were lounging on the beach, but a few times there was a bit more action--swimming, flirting, and fighting.

At rest

At play

At sea

One clear morning, Jack encouraged me to climb up a nearby hill—the highest in the area—to get a spectacular view of the bay and surrounding area. It was a tough climb through thick brush and up steep banks with no track, but the view was well worth the effort. It was breathtaking and I had lunch on top taking it in.

Hill with a view

Part of the view (Surat Bay) from the top

Jack and Ester went above and beyond their role as WWOOF hosts, bringing me to a number of special places where we got to watch rare yellow-eyed penguins, seals, and tons of other sea birds. One highlight one evening was watching a penguin come in from the sea and walk across the beach to its nesting place in the bushes, and then a few minutes later spotting five penguins in another place and watching a mother penguin feed two of its chicks. Jack and Ester also brought me out at low tide two evenings in a row—one to get mussels and another to collect cockles. Both nights, I made shellfish fettuccine with our catches.