Blogs from Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 8

Another driving day, as we drove from Golden Bay in the north of the South Island to Kaikoura on the east coast. We passed through very varied scenery - beaches and mountains and vineyards and coastal cliffs. We stopped for lunch at 'The Mussel Pot' in Havelock for some HUGE green lipped mussels which are the speciality of the town - Paul had his grilled with cheese and bacon, whereas mine were boiled in garlic and white wine. And then on to Kaikoura, famous for its wildlife. We saw some seals basking in the sunshine this afternoon and have booked a whale watching trip for tomorrow. You can also pay to swim with sharks if the mood takes you. Weather is still sunny - car's thermometer got to 26 degrees C today, but looks like tomorrow ... read more

“Doing” the peninsula hike The only hike outlined in our Lonely Planet is “the” Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway. We drive to the end of the main road where the buildings turn into shack-like creations and then drop out entirely for a brief stretch and the road ends in a parking lot. We quickly ascend up the cliffside and look back toward the mainland. The flat east coast plain breaks abruptly upon the slate mountains where clouds still obscure the tops of the mountains. This would be spectacular with a clear view. It’s still catching with the contrast of grey, white, green, and the ever blue ocean. It’s windy as all get-out but at least there’s no mist! The path takes us along the top of the cliffs past Point Kearn, making us clamber over stiles into cow ... read more

Aangekomen in Kaikoura gingen we eerst , zoals altijd, naar het informatiecentrum. We hoorden daar dat je enkel de walvissen kon zien met een boot, en dat er maar 1 maatschappij was. Jan had gehoord dat net iets boven de stad Kaikoura een andere plaats was waar je ook dezelfde walvissen kon bekijken...maar hij was de naam van het dorpje vergeten!! De bib was niet meer open, dus geen internet.Tijdens onze wandeling door het stadje viel het op dat je overal 'crayfish' kon eten. Crayfish is een kleinere soort kreeft. We hadden beiden nog nooit kreeft gegeten in ons leven en besloten dit toch ook eens te proeven. Na de talloze kook programma's op TV waar ze de kreeft als een 'culinair orgasme' beschouwen wilden we dit toch ook es op onze tong voelen...maar we hadden ... read more

Tuesday morning we left Mark n Tracey’s in Christchurch and set off to Kaikoura for a couple of days. The drive to Kaikoura is a lovely scenic setting of the hills and then the east coastline. We arrived at our hostel for the night the ‘Sunrise Lodge’ which was very nice, then unpacked and drove to the seal colony and watched the seals lazing around the rocks, then wandered around town for a few hours. At night we decided to go to one of the caravans on the bay for a seafood snack of scallop and whitebait patties then chilled back in the hostel. We had a 3 bed dorm to ourselves all day, and then just before reception shut at 8pm the owner came in the room with a very smelly Frenchman and booked him ... read more

Greetings from Kaikoura! Sorry it's been a few days since our last post - wifi is surprisingly difficult to find down here. THURSDAY We picked up our van from Escape Rentals in Christchurch. We chose Tangaroa, which is apparently their flagship design. We got a quick orientation, and we were off! Marshall has done an amazing job of driving, so far. Drifting into the other lane isn't really a problem - it's the turning that gets confusing. To help each other out, we decided to describe turns: "short turn" (don't cross another lane) is left, "long turn" (cross a lane) is right. So far, so good! After loading up on groceries, we hit the road for Kaikoura. We cannot say it enough - New Zealand is BEAUTIFUL. Gorgeous, amazing, incredible. Everything is so vibrantly green. And ... read more