🇳🇿 Lochmara, days 29-31

On Thursday (still day 29) I was the only one who signed up for the observatory, so I had the double master's degree expert in zoology and marine biology for me and it was super interesting. I asked her holes in the stomach. After her studies she bought the aquarium in Kaikoura, which was destroyed in the earthquake. Since she was only there for six months, the insurance company didn't pay anything. Evil.

The observatory itself.....well, I'm unsuccessful in trying to figure out where I've been in one of these hulls, but this is rather modest in execution. Still interesting.

This little fellow, the reef starfish (the orange starfish), has incredible abilities: it can tear itself in half and then grow back into two individuals, a ripped off arm simply regenerates.He takes a clam in his midst, encloses and cracks it, then sucks it dry. He can evert the stomach, which is located in the middle on the underside. As soon as I had it in my hand, it started wanting to curl up around it. He was back in the water very quickly.

Dinner was preferred after exploring the grounds, a remarkably good chowder with lots of different sea creatures, a huge bowl full.

There's a bit of hidden, interesting art everywhere here, I like it.

Friday started with not sooo nice weather, overcast at 12 degrees. But at noon the sun came out for two hours. I heaved a kayak out of the boathouse and paddled to the next corner in a light swell, but it was really deep in the water, it quickly got uncomfortably wet in the cool wind, so I turned around. So did the others who tried it after me. Also, there were loads of those mischievous little jellyfish in the water. And then it got pretty cold, brrrr! 🥶

At lunchtime I had some delicious mussels as a snack. When I ordered them, three employees serenaded me, that was nice🎈

The incredibly nice family that lives in all the rooms around me constantly wanted to involve me, but I didn't want to, as nice as I thought that was. All in all a bit exhausting because I "suffered" from constant attention.

I already felt a bit lonely on my birthday, I missed my family and friends, i.e. you. The prize for this incredible journey 🤷‍♀️ Now I'm 54-how did that happen so quickly?!?!?!

I was reading and doing laundry and taking in the views of the bay. It really does look like the setting for Jurassic Park, my dear brother Thomas well recognized.

In the evening I chose the decent fish of the day and a really good butterscotch cup for dessert.

I booked a flight to Tokyo International on 4/25. On April 20th I'm flying to Fiji, which I really don't want to do. It's insanely expensive, really, unless you like rockin' dumps, which I don't want either. It should be clean please. And the beaches don't look that appealing in the photos either. Mrrrh.

I've been looking for a compromise for half the day, so far without success. Unfortunately, there are also school holidays in the Oceania region and therefore everything is even more expensive. Fiji is to New Zealand what Mallorca is to Germany.

Saturday starts again overcast and cold and windy, so I take the water taxi at 11:00 instead of 16:00. Rather stray a bit in Picton in this weather.

Now it's 10 a.m. for me, 10 a.m. earlier for you, you're in bed... Good night 💤🌙

He likes me even without cheese toast!