I should be up front, and let you all know this is definitely a ‘less words, more pictures’ blog. This trip was absolutely incredible but not too many words are needed.

I made a list of all my favourite things - a rugged coastline, roaring seas, a lighthouse, sea birds, even hectors dolphins and then I wished for them to be together. Imagine how I felt when I discovered they could all be in one place, and this paradise was only a few hours from home. 

There is a typically Tamzin back story to this adventure that I must share with you. While out whale watching with E-Ko Tours (see previous blog), I noticed a bright blue fishing trawler coming through Tory Entrance surrounded by seabirds. After just a glimpse of an albatross earlier in the day and the road to Kaikoura (my regular albatross fix) currently closed, I was desperate to get out among the big birds again.

As my first blog posts were all a long way from home I thought I’d now introduce you to my backyard. I live in Picton, it is the top of the South Island in New Zealand and the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds.