Having a Whale of A Time in Kaikoura

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My last day in Wellington - nearly three weeks ago now - was so simple, making sure that all my travelling belongings were safely packed and ready to be transported around the rest of New Zealand, after spending the last twelve weeks 'flatting'. With Walter working at the Paramount Cinema I visited him there to watch an early evening showing of 'Howl's Moving Castle', a fantastic Japanese animation, stocked up on some local music CD's and took a leisurely stroll down Lambton Quay to the central train station, ready for the shuttle bus which runs "35 minutes prior to sailing time". As a few of us were waiting we became quite anxious, to the extent that we were about to call a taxi, but it seemed perfectly normal to the bus driver when he didn't show up until 10 mins before the ferry was due to depart! As I was one of the last to board the ferry I got talking to a Kiwi guy who had memories of crossing the Cook Strait being a young boy as rather tedious. This time he seemed more impressed by the journey through the Marlborough Sounds, darting about the boat taking lots of photographs of the fantastic scenery. In the early evening light the views of the South Island were beautiful. Being a foot-passenger on the ferry felt just like being on a plane as my backpack was put into a special hold, and at Picton I just had to wait for it coming around on the conveyor belt! I easily found my way through the one main street of shops to the hostel I'd already booked and explored the harbour area of the town with a loose plan of heading in the direction of the Queen Charlotte Track in the next few days. However, back at the hostel I got talking to a couple of people from Norfolk who were travelling together and, after visiting her friends in the North Island, were then going down to a farm in Cust near Christchurch to visit his friends. They invited me to join them in their journey south along the east coast, travelling in a hire car. We had a brilliant day together, stopping to sample the sauvignon blanc and pinot gris at one of the Marlborough Wineries and watch seals from Ohau Point. Arriving in Kaikoura we were hoping for a fairly central hostel for the night and as the YHA was far across the other side of the bay we were directed by some very efficient staff at the I-site information centre to a BBH Hostel called Dusky Lodge - dusky being the name of one type of dolphin found locally. The three of us booked 2 nights each knowing that we'd be going on the Whale Watch tour early on the Thursday morning, and settled in with a few beers around the pool, sharing stories. The following day I explored all Kaikoura has to offer in the town (not much, all geared towards tourists) and walked out to the end of the peninsula to view more seals basking on the rocks. In the evening we experienced a quaint little cinema showing The Worlds Fastest Indian and we all thoroughly enjoyed the kiwi feel-good humour and appreciated having seen the replica bike currently in the Te Papa museum in Wellington. The highlight of my time spent in Kaikoura with Richard and Ali was seeing two Giant Sperm Whales on an organised boat trip just off the coast in the Kaikoura Canyon. The early morning excursion was fantastic, even though I used four paper bags in the process!! I spent a further week at Dusky Lodge because I noticed a sign advertising FREE ACCOMODATION - For as little as 2-3 hours cleaning in the morning we'll give you a
free bed and use of the pool facilities. Needless to say I took them up on the offer, cleaning the kitchen and making beds and when I'd finished working, lazed about by the pool, in the sauna and spa. Kaikoura is one of the most magical and beautiful places I've even been! I met some crazy travellers and made good friends, with whom I shared meals, rode bikes to the beach, watched the sunsets, ate cakes from the bakery next-door and laughed together.... to be continued!

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