Whew what a trip! It started off rainy, but we actually had pretty good luck staying dry the entire time. We got a healthy dose of fun in the sun, admired the amazing scenery, and moved along at a great pace, where we saw a lot, but didn’t feel rushed. As the Kiwis say, “Sweet as”.
We set out from home in the pouring rain, which was more than a little disconcerting. The much-feared and dreaded ferry ride was long and boring (they played two movies, but we had only one seat to share between the four of us, and the movies were mostly inaudible) and too wet to really be out on the deck enjoying the scenery, but we did manage one photo before a massive blast of wind and ocean convinced me to put my camera away…
We had planned to stay two days kayaking in the Marlborough Sounds, but with the weather not cooperating, we skipped that and drove straight down to Kaikoura, where our whale-watching plan seemed more conducive to rainy conditions. We had a lovely little campsite right next to the highway and a train track that was bone shakingly active at night! While the rain did let up, and we stayed nice and dry (thanks to Mark’s skill with a tarp), the ocean was too rough for the whale watching boats, so we spent our time watching the surfers, playing mini-golf, and just enjoying being together.
our cozy site…
the beach across the road…
life in a tent…
so cozy!
pj’s in the morning…
mini-golf!
watching the surfers…
scenic coastline…
the seals in this area are so accustomed to humans that you can walk right up to them — I’d be willing to bet you could pet them, but I wouldn’t want to try it. We saw a seal lying under a palmy bush about 100 years from the beach, but he was so well hidden that most passerby didn’t notice him, which also made him hard to photograph. Here are a few photos of the less shy New Zealand fur seals…
roadside bird watching… Pukekos!
After a few days in Kaikoura, we moved along for a day trip to Hanmer Springs, a town where the main attraction for us was a giant hot springs facility, with thermal pools of all different temperatures, a cold pool (which was great, as it turned out to be a lovely, hot day) and waterslides. Apparently I didn’t take any photos, but here is a rock called “frog rock” that we saw by the side of the road after our quick dip in the pools, as we were moving along to Christchurch…
We didn’t actually see much of Christchurch, though we thoroughly enjoyed ‘the teddy factory’, which the kids had seen advertised on tv and were just dying to go visit. We worked those overpriced, gimmicky bears into an early christmas present, and also hit the Antarctic Centre, which turned out to be the only place we saw penguins on our whole trip.
The Antarctic centre was pretty neat, overall. We all learned a lot about Antarctica, and even went into a room that had a simulation of a -18C storm blow through… it wasn’t nearly as cold as most of our holidays in Alberta, Canada, but we’ve never done that in shorts and sandals…luckily they gave us all jackets and overshoes, and there was an igloo to hide in for those of us not brave enough to take on the ice slide behind it…
I think I’ll leave off there for now, tune in next time for Christmas at Okains Bay and Akaroa, Arthur’s Pass, Greymouth, Paekakariki (Pancake Rocks), Marahau and Abel Tasman National Park, Takaka/Golden Bay/Totaranui, and finally Nelson with the Ricciardis!
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