Blogs from Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 5

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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura December 21st 2013

Saturday 21st December, 2013. Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand Today was a 'spare' day as we had allowed two days for the whale watching in case there were any weather or other issues. We decided that we would spend the day walking the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway (or at least some of it). The walkway (KPW) is a joint community project shared between a number of eco-concious organisations. It starts at the town centre and goes to Point Kean, across the cliff tops to South Bay where it returns to the town via Toms Track. The total walk is 11.7 kms. We were already half way from the town to Point Kean due to the location of the YH (so saved ourselves 2.2 k's before we even started! The Peninsula is rich in Maori tradition and early ... read more
23. Kaikoura Seafood BBQ, Armers Beach
26. Let Sleeping Ducks Lie - Fyffe Quay
29. M with Fur Seal, Point Kean, Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura December 20th 2013

Friday 20th December, 2013. Alpine Pacific Triangle Drive & Whale Watch Trip We left Hanmer Springs fairly promptly as we had a whale watching tour booked for 3 pm this afternoon in Kaikoura. On the way out of town we stopped at the Waiau river Bridge Lookout again and took some more pictures. It is amazing how much prettier everything looks in the sunshine. We continued with the Alpine Pacific Triangle Drive and made our way down to the coast to Gore Bay which is a coastal settlement close to Chiviot on the South Island. From 1856 Gore bay was used as the gateway into the historic Cheviot Hills property owned by William ‘ready money’ Robinson. Small coastal vessels anchored in the bay bringing essential supplies, materials and passengers. Surf boats were used to ferry goods ... read more
14. M at Gore Bay
17. Cathedral Cliffs
20. D at the Cathedral Cliffs, Gore Bay

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura September 26th 2013

Geo: -42.4023, 173.681Day 16 - Kaikoura to BlenheimToday we have a huge trip, a whole one and a half hours drive. As we depart Kaikoura we pick up a Baguette and a bottle of Champagne as we are planning a stop at the legendary Nin's Bin some 20 km north.We meander along the coast road and sight many seals on the rocks and soon round a large bay where we spot a blue and white caravan (Nin's Bin) perched on the edge of the water . We pull up and it’s open for business so we step inside and the guy behind the counter tells us he has good and bad news. We ask for the bad news (he only has two crays), the good news (he caught both this morning). We choose the bigger one ... read more
Nin's Bin Kaikoura
Nins Bin Kaikora
As fresh as they come - Nin's Bin - Kaikoura

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura July 14th 2013

The view form our overnight camp included the sea crashing against some rocks and a rather spectacular waterfall crashing to the ground beside the road. We drove for twenty minutes before we arrived at “the Whaleway Station,” where we were hoping to catch a whale watching boat. The day before many of the boats had been cancelled due to the torrential rain. Luckily we were in for, well not plain sailing (a severe seasickness warning had been issued), but a good chance of seeing a sperm whale. We both took the necessary precautions of a Sturgeron tablet my mother handily provided us with, before attending a safety briefing. About twenty minutes from the shore our captain came to a halt and lowered a hydrophone into the water to listen for the sounds of nearby whales. Having ... read more
Fur Seals
Whale number one expelling air
Whales off the starboard bow

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura May 19th 2013

The rain continued but not enough to put a halt to anything. In the morning I got the bus north to Kaikoura, seabird capital of the world. About halfway is St. Anne’s Lagoon, a small lake just out of Cheviot, which is home to the only “tickable” Cape Barren geese in New Zealand. There has been a population breeding here for at least several decades, and they are the only ones in the country for which you don’t need to fill out a UBR (Unusual Bird Report) if you see them. Of course the bus doesn’t stop at the lake for any passengers who happen to be birders, but if you are lucky you can sometimes spy one or two grazing as the bus roars past, as I did. The lake is worth a visit if ... read more
Gibson's albatross (Diomedea gibsoni)
Southern Buller's albatross (Thalassarche bulleri)
White-faced heron (Ardea novaehollandiae)

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura May 9th 2013

Trans Alpine Railway and Kaikoura. We left Franz Joseph by 0900 hours after collecting the video of the Kayak session. Our aim was to get to Greymouth by 1300 hrs. On the way we stopped at a few view points to see some waterfalls, a bridge where you could get a magnificent view of the snow capped moutains, and again at a sea side supposed to be a surfers paradise (only a couple of people surfing). Again the scenery on the way was unbelievably beautiful, I keep repeating that, between the mountains, rivers and the rain forest. Then we stopped at a small seaside town, Hokitika, famous for works in jade and we had a chance to see the craftsmen at work. Some of the group bought small items as souvenirs which were symbols of Maori ... read more
Kaikoura 2
Not  a classic dive
Sperm Whale

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura April 27th 2013

Kaikoura, ist bekannt für viel „Wildlife“ im Meer, Wale, Delphine, Robben und deren entsprechende Nahrung (z.B. Langusten = Koura). Nach dem Bezug unseres heimeligen B&B, Gastgeber Kylie und Luke, sind wir dann am nächsten Morgen auch gleich mit einer Bootstour zum Whalewatching aufgebrochen, Erfolgsquote 98%, Geld-zurück-Garantie. Nun gut: zunächst, nach etwa 10 Minuten Bootsfahrt, begegneten wir einer großen Kolonie Schwarzdelphine, ca. 60-80, die in unmittelbarer Nähe des Bootes auf Jagd waren und uns dabei mit Sprüngen und Rückwärtssalti belustigten. Im weiteren Verlauf konnten wir – trotz ausgefeilter Kommunikation der verschiedenen Walbeobachtungsboote untereinander – leider keinen der anvisierten Pottwale finden. Wir machen halt eine exklusive Reise und gehörten somit zu den 2% ohne Wale :-(. Die Crew war sichtlich enttäuscht – und dann plötzlich begeistert: 3 Orcas kreuzten unser... read more
Dusky Dolphin - Schwarzdelphin
Delphinkolonie
Orcas_1

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura April 26th 2013

Dear all, After a very long and sleepless journey we arrived here on South Island New Zealand. We picked up our Campervan and drove round the corner to the nearest camp site. We are now 11 hours ahead of the UK and we were tired, confused and didn't know if we should eat breakfast or dinner. We put the bed down in the van and then slept for 13 hours!! I guess we needed it. We woke up feeling refreshed and headed off to explore Christchurch, the biggest city on the South Island. Christchurch was hit by a bad earthquake in 2010 and then again in 2011 and so much of the city was flattened. We walked around re:start which is an area that local businesses have rebuilt. They have used old shipping containers to make ... read more
Shops rebuilt from shipping containers
Sun rise
Here comes the sun

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura April 10th 2013

We arrived early morning in Picton and set off on a 3 hour journey to the Nelson area, home to our friend Ben Cameron. We stayed in Motueka the first night and drove up to Farewell Spit in the furthest reaches of the North West tip of the South Island. We stopped on a site near the Able Tasman park right next to the beach. Whilst swimming we spotted some Dolphins jumping in the distance. I decided to go back to the van for a warm but curiosity grabbed Jess and sent her off to see if she could get a closer look at the Dolphins. She ventured into the water and the Dolphins swam up to her and around her, WILD DOLPHINS :) no touts trying to sell tickets, no cost!! just pure human and ... read more
Glazier
Our friend by the campervan :)
Blow holes

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Kaikoura April 3rd 2013

It’s another early start this morning as at 6am I am at the Ocean Encounter centre and getting kitted out in a full wetsuit, wetsuit jacket, hood, snorkel and flippers. After a short safety briefing video around 15 of us pile onto a boat and speed out into the Pacific Ocean. Whilst we are out on the water, the sky goes from black to a magical redy-orange, as the sunrises over the surrounding mountains. It is whilst we are all memorised by the sky the first dolphins are spotted, and then the whole pod of around 200 start to appear. Over the next 2 hours we take three swims with the dolphins, and each time I swim I have more and more dolphins around me. It is just amazing, I had around 15 dolphins swimming around ... read more




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