Kaikoura

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We caught a shuttle bus from Arthur's Pass on another rainy day. We were cutting across the South Island and as a result the Southern Alps. The views were spectacular with snow capped peaks and crazy twisty roads.

We had to do a bus changeover at Christchurch and as we had a bit of time, so Ciaran bought a new jacket to defend against the oncoming winter. The bus to Kaikoura took about 2 and a half hours and it was dark by the time we got there. The hostel was a good thirty minute walk from the town so once we were settled in we walked in to grab some dinner.

Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island. Most travellers visit there to go whale watching and dolphin swimming. It's also famous for it's crayfish which is the big local industry.

We did a fairly major shop the next day including a couple of bottles of the local wine. We then decided to do a walk around some of the peninsula. After a short walk we reached one of the many fur seal colonies along the peninsula where there were lots of seals chilling after a night of feeding. From there we headed down the beach a good few kilometers and encountered more and more seals. After walking for an hour or so we climbed up to the overhanging cliffs and walked back the way we had come. We got back to the hostel where we chilled for the evening.

The next day we were up early for the long walk into town as we had booked to go whale watching. The area has several resident Sperm whales and throughout the year lots more pass through the area. We caught a bus to the wharf and then got onto our very sleek ship. The crew was all Maori and our guide was really funny (I guess some guides actually are after all).

We headed out to sea and over the continental shelf. The water below us was incredibly deep and that’s why the whales love the area so much. We spotted five whales on the trip although you can only see the very top of them and their blowholes. You only get a glimmer of their real size when they dive and flip their massive tails into the air. It was amazing to know there were so many whales in the area and to be able to get as close as we did to them.

On our way back into the bay we passed a pod of what must have been hundreds of dusky dolphins. The area is packed with dolphins as a result of all the food available in the water. After watching their antics for a little while we headed back to land. We typed up some of the blog and had a few beers in the hostel that evening but nothing too major as we had another early start the following day.

Another early morning but we were excited getting up as we were going swimming with dolphins. We got kitted out with wetsuits and snorkel gear first before a bus took us to our boat. We didn't have too far to go out of the bay before we came across a small pod of maybe 20 dolphins.

We all hopped in the water as they swam around us and played with us for a half hour or so. It was an amazing experience as the dolphins swam right up to us and around us play acting. The water as you can imagine was freezing cold so once back on the ship a hose with hot water was unceremoniously stuck down our wetsuits to thaw us out.

After warming up with some hot chocolate we got to watch the dolphins as they swam along with the boat. The sheer number of dolphins off the coast of Kaikoura is amazing and bunches of them followed us right into land. Unbelievably our time on the South Island is nearly up.

Next Stop Wellington...

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