I know that I am very fortunate to be able to say, there isn’t much of Aotearoa that I haven’t seen. However, there are still pockets of this beautiful country that I am yet to explore.

On a recent trip to Geraldine to see family, Daniel and I decide to make a spontaneous trip south to Oamaru and Moeraki. It was about a 1.5 hours drive and with bright blue skies above we were ready for our little road trip.

We arrive in Oamaru about 10am, I am surprised how big it is. For some reason I was expecting a small country town, but it is much bigger and has a population of around 14,000. Our first stop is to Steampunk HQ – an eclectic collection of what I can best describe as Victorian Sci-fi. It was an unusual place and very interactive. You could push all the buttons and flick all the switches, (great for kids) each time wondering what effect it would have. My favourite part of this museum is the room of mirrors. Filled with lights, it creates the illusion of depth and the reflection of the little lights flashing all around me made a beautiful sight.

After ambling our way through the museum, we take a stroll down the old Victorian Precinct, along the cobble stones and past beautifully detailed old shop front facades.

We continue south for another half an hour to a place I have wanted to visit for a long time – Moeraki. Now this place is very small. The attraction here is the Moeraki Boulders. It’s a large, sweeping, sandy beach that is really beautiful in its own right. The sea is a stunning blue that stretches out as far as the eye can see.

Off in the distance I can see the boulders, so we walk towards them. What’s special about these boulders you might ask? They are large, round rocks, semi submerged in the sand. They look like marbles, scattered about in a child’s school yard game. What adds to the mystery of these rocks is how they are condensed to one small part of the massive beach, with no other rocks in sight. The beach backs onto a cliff, and protruding from it is another boulder, semi submerged, waiting for a storm to release it from its hold. This one is particularly round and smooth, much more so than the ones of the beach, that have been weathered from the changing tide.

We head to the local cafe for some lunch and are pleasantly surprised. Sometimes places like these, set up right next to a tourist attraction, can be very average and expensive. However, my soup was really tasty, Daniel said his fish was excellent, and the views across the beach were lovely.

We head south a little further, there is a lighthouse walk I want to do. If you have been reading my blogs for a while, you will know that I am not good with directions. Don’t ever put me on reading the map, unless you want to get lost. Daniel knows this, but somehow, I still end up on directions. No surprises, instead of going to the lighthouse, we end up at Moeraki Village. But what a wonderful wrong turn. The little bay is simply gorgeous. I just can’t get over the colour of the ocean. Photos don’t do it justice, it was stunning. After soaking in all the beauty, we carry on and eventually end up at the lighthouse.

I was disappointed to see that the walk to the lighthouse is only a couple of minutes. So we continue the walk further towards the beach, which is home to seals, kororā (little blue) & hoiho (yellow eyed) penguins. There are a few seals on the shore, but it’s the wrong time of day for the penguins, they won’t be coming ashore until dusk. It’s still a nice little walk, I breathe in the fresh salty air and admire the sweeping views.

On our way back to Geraldine we make another stop in Oamaru to visit Whitestone Cheese Co. We didn’t do a factory tour, that needs to be booked in advance, but we did purchase their tasting platter with a selection of 5 cheeses. Their gold medal aged cheddar was sensational! It had incredible flavour and wonderful texture, I really love cheese that has little crystallized parts in it. So of course we leave with some of that, along with a selection of other items from their range.

It was a delightful day and I loved doing this little adventure with Daniel. The spontaneity of this road trip added to the excitement. I fell in love with Moeraki Bay and hope I will remember the brilliant colours of the ocean for years to come.