Blogs from Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

Day 1 of our 100 days around the world journey/ adventure in 2018 has arrived. Commencing our journey with a road trip to Christchurch meant a slow drive along the Kaikoura coastline. The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake was a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand that occurred two minutes after midnight on 14 November 2016 NZDT. Ruptures occurred on multiple faults and the earthquake has been described as the "most complex earthquake ever studied". The earthquake started at about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north-east of Culverden and 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-west of the tourist town of Kaikoura and at a depth of approximately 15 kilometres (9 mi).The complex sequence of ruptures lasted for about two minutes.The c... read more

Our bedroom overlooks the beach so we wake up to the most glorious view of the sun rising over the ocean. I take a stroll along the beach while the old man sleeps. The plan for today is to drive the 94 miles along the coastal SH1 to Kaikoura, stopping for lunch at a vineyard on the way. SH1 has only recently partially reopened following the huge earthquake which hit the region in 2016, and has been shut again over the past few days following Cyclone Gita. If it’s shut, we will have a 6+ hour detour so we are on tenterhooks awaiting the traffic update. Luckily the road opens and we set off for the huge wine estate of Yealands. It’s a cutting edge eco friendly vineyard (it even plays classical music to the vines ... read more

Why isn’t air conditioning a thing here? Not one place I’ve been to has had it. I thought this was a tropical country? All you get (if you’re lucky) is a rinky dink little fan to try and circulate air around. Bah. The cold nights are the one thing I missed about home. Anyway, sorry for the idle chit chat. Not as much to report on today. Ahead of us was a long slog along the eastern coast, recently devastated by an earthquake, on our way to the former whaling town of Kaikoura. We made a brief stop at Pelorus Bridge where we partook in the universally enjoyed tradition of attempting to skip stones in the river, giving up when we couldn’t skip anything, then resorting to throwing the biggest rocks we could find. Okay I ... read more

Travelled from Christchurch to Kaikoura yesterday ... the national speed limit is 100km/h but the lorries seemed oblivious, and uninterested in the advisory speed signs for bends, which made for an interesting journey on a single carriageway road and few passing places! The van rattles well, but is much more advanced than on our previous visit, is automatic and comes complete with TomTom navigation. He seems well mannered and we have named him Richard! We are staying with Richard at a beautiful campsite just outside Kaikoura called Pekata Beach... literally beach one side of our motorhome and looking up to the mountains from the other. Lots of bird life.... but seems to be mainly gulls, sparrows, blackbirds and chaffinch.... no idea where the nz crowd are hiding. Had a long walk around Kaikoura and out to ... read more

Phew - its been a marathon of packing up and cleaning house, emptying the 'empty nest', and generally sorting out the boring bits of daily life. The house sitter and the mower of lawns are scheduled, and the neighbours have sorted out their rosters for picking and eating the ripening citrus fruit. during our absence. The garden beds are 'composted down' and the trees are pruned. Previously, we have only been away for a few short weeks at a time - much more planning is required when escaping for the whole NZ winter. The last few days in the Marlborough Sounds were deceptively mild with just a few heavy rain showers. Still, the weather forecast shows that winter is definitely on the way - another great reason to depart for warmer climates. We finally set off ... read more