James B. Fishin: Running North

After leaving Queenstown, I hitch-hiked north to Mount Cook Village. Weather in the area is unpredictable, so I planned on spending a couple of nights there. I found a campground, and a prime spot given to me (amazingly enough), by the same German girls who had taken my picture while fishing a couple weeks before.

I got my weather window the following day, and spent a bunch of time outside and also at the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum.

I left Mount Cook, via hitching, and stayed a night in Lake Tekapo. The town is small, and known for the old stone church built by the lake edge.

I then made my way to Christchurch. The city center has been ruined, and is a mix of total ruin and ultra-modern development, as the central shopping district is now made up of stacked shipping containers filled with shops and cafes. It will be interesting to see how the city rebuilds over my future fishing trips.

After visiting a friend outside Christchurch, I continued north to the town of Kaikoura. The land mass comes to a steep shelf near the shore here, so ocean life is prolific along the coast here. In the morning, one could watch dozens of Dusky dolphins playing along the beach.

I did find an opportunity to do some fishing in a coastal ditch near there, and was surprised to catch a few small sea-run browns amongs the trash in the creek.

After leaving Kaikoura, I worked on an amazing vineyard in the Marlborough region with a family I now consider friends. After initially planning to only stay 3-7 days, I stayed 10, and was relieved to have a private room and bathroom (!!!!) to myself. Janet's cooking was amazing, and I hope I can visit again someday.