Kaikoura

Sunday 4 - Monday 5 June

Running slightly behind schedule after our Franz Josef Glacier hike, we left Franz Josef late Saturday afternoon and headed to Greymouth for the night. The weather was truly foul, but the hostel we stayed in (Global Village) was absolutely fantastic - more like a good budget hotel than a backpacker place. Fortunately, we had already taken in the sights of Greymouth on our TranzAlpine trip from Christchurch and so we weren't too concerned at being confined to our comfortable quarters for the night.

On Sunday morning we left early, still faced with torrential rain, and made our way to Kaikoura arriving mid-afternoon.

Kaikoura lies on a peninsula, and crayfish - for which the town is now famous - are abundant in its waters. (Kaikoura, literally translated, means 'meal of crayfish').

We had managed to outrun the morning's rain as we arrived at our accommodation for the next two nights; a charming hostel called 'The Lazy Shag' (behave yourselves!).

We headed into town in the evening, searching for a particular venue that the hostel owner recommended for a meal and a drink but try as we might we couldn't find it among the seemingly endless crayfish restaurants, and so we ended up in a typical pub eating sausage and mash! Here, the heavy rain caught up with us once more and we headed in for the night.

Sunday 5 June

Kaikoura prides itself on the conservation of an abundance of local marine life; in season, there are seals, dolphins and whales aplenty to be seen here.

Although we were here out of season, we were still keen to take a boat trip out into the bay just to see what we could see. Sunday morning was cool, but bright and sunny. However, on arrival at the Tourist Information Centre we were told that the sea was too rough for any boats to be going out that day.

This was to be our last full day on New Zealand's South Island, and we were keen not to waste it; the weather was too good for that. As an alternative to a boat trip, the helpful Tourist Info lady suggested could do a coastal walk which would take us from town, to the peninsula, up into the hills over the bay and then back down into town through open farmland. Well, we're always happy to do another walk...

Thanks to the sunshine, the scenery and the wildlife, this was one of the most enjoyable walks we have done and rather than give you a detailed account of every step, I'll give you the highlights via photos...

Starting by the shore

Kaikoura's rugged coastline

Down by the rocks, no-one was excited by our presence

From seashore to farmland and back to town...

Although the hills may look green and rolling, they were actually green and brown since cows grazed here; I quickly discovered this by plunging my foot into a large, fresh cowpat causing Sharon much hilarity.

Walk over, we headed to the supermarket then feasted back at the hostel with a celebratory bottle of wine; we had crammed so much into our few weeks on South Island and tomorrow we would be heading from Picton to Wellington for new adventures on North Island.