A momentous occasion to start the morning: Eddie’s first go on a swing! After this and a paddle we figured we’d better get back on the road.
First stop: Oamaru, town of steampunks and penguins. We weren’t hanging around long enough to see the penguins at dusk, so we popped into ‘Steampunk HQ’ to try to work out what on earth steampunk is, impressed by the steam engine outside that would belch fire and steam whenever tourists added money. Sadly we came out none the wiser with all of the ramshackle old machinery inside considerably less able to do anything at all whether for an original or newer purpose just with the odd skull stencilled on them, although Adam did enjoy taking a (very small) wrecking ball to an (already not in great nick) train carriage, and Eddie very much enjoyed the ‘time capsule’ full of mirrors and flashing fairy lights (which you could only tell were skulls if you looked really closely).
A more exciting experience in my opinion was the pies and shakes by the sea, which were excellent, and the kiddie playground which Eddie tolerated while us grown ups had an excellent time on the helter skelter, zipwire and giant swing.
Next stop: sweet potato rocks! More commonly known as Moeraki boulders these round boulders have been washed out of the cliffs on the coast and sit on the beach here. There are some very fancy geological theories as to how they were formed, but I prefer the Maori story that they were giant Kumara (sweet potatoes) that fell out of a giant canoe. It’s certainly easier for me to get my head around.
Parenting Responsibly 