Kaikoura

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Route 1 continues on in the South Island. I walked there from the ferry terminal and found a couple of rides south in the rain along the coast. The water there is such a brilliant blue and the coastline is completely untouched- there isn't a house or any other kind of property the entire way. I wasn't able to get a good photo.

But the second guy who picked me up offered to stop at a creek that has a pond filled with seal cubs. Apparently mothers hide their cubs there from the sharks. Along the rocky coastline there were hundreds more.

I stayed at the Fish Bowl hostel, which was nearly empty. It's right near all the shops and restaurants and bars but the town was more or less in hibernation during July. I ran down the coast in the rain to the point of the peninsula and there were hundreds more seals there. I ate at a great fish and chips place - Tiki's Takeaways - and went to a pretty good bar to watch the All Blacks blow out Argentina.

The next morning I decided to run the entire 12k loop around the peninsula. The portion along the town road was a repeat from the day before, but it had cleared a bit overnight and the mountains hung over the water, creating an incredible landscape. Once the loop route turns into a path, it climbs a hundred meters above the water and the views of the bays below are spectacular. It then cuts through farmlands and opens to another bay on the other side before heading back to Kaikoura. I used the local I-site map and got turned around a couple of times, but there's no real way to get lost.

It was one of the best routes I've ever run. It could conceivably be done as a day hike (it takes 3-3.5 hours to walk it) from Christchurch, but Kaikoura itself deserves a day.

There are more photos below.

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Photos

Running the loop
I've decided that this photo of me is basically the apex of my life.

Morning beach view
This was right across the street from my hostel.

Cub
I'm not sure why they sit like that.

Low tide on the rocks
Notice the snow-capped mountains in the background.

image
Notice all the seals in the background.