Andy and I have finally left Christchurch
and have made our way north along the east coast towards Nelson.
About halfway in between, we stopped by the small town of Kaikoura,
which might just be my new favorite small town in New Zealand so far
(with Paihia as a close second).
I LOVE Kaikoura!
I've never seen such a diverse
landscape in so small an area. With the ocean on one side, a
snow-covered mountain range on the other, and beautiful green hills
covered in tropical-looking trees in between, it is no wonder this
place gets a million visitors a year. The area looks like some
strange mix between Lord of the Rings and Jurassic Park. The drive
to and from town had some of the most amazing coastal scenery I've seen (even though a young local couple we met at an earlier
campsite told us that there's nothing special about the east coast
and that the west coast is where it's at. Really? It gets
better?!).
But herein lies the tragedy. Our
camera battery died that afternoon so we couldn't get any pictures of
the coast north of town so you'll just have to trust me on this.
It's beautiful.
Here are some pictures we did get of
some of the coastal areas around town:
The next day, armed with a freshly charged battery in our camera, we took some time to explore more of the town. It had a cute city center,
several nice parks, a boardwalk, and many interesting trails. Unfortunately, it was a dark and dreary day and our pictures just don't do the town justice:
In addition to its unique landscape, Kaikoura is also known for its marine life, with many
companies available to arrange whale watching tours and dolphin
encounters. There are also penguins, albatross, and seals that can
be seen most days of the year. We saw many seals while we were
there:
Andy and I stayed in Kaikoura for a couple of
days before continuing north, freedom camping along the way.
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| Views from the road |
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| Robin Hood Bay |
We have now made it to sunny Nelson!
Once we get situated, we will update you all on our new city...
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