Man, I'm tired! We got up really early this morning to drive out to Havelock for our first water sport of the holiday - kayaking! Well, they were more like big, inflatable tandem canoes, but still! There were only 3 other people on our trip and we were driven out to the Wakamarina River - which apparently has lots of gold in it. There are some rapids along the river, just enough to make it exciting, but not so extreme that it becomes dangerous. We had an awesome trip! We had a boat between us and I sat in front because apparently Phil had to be at the back to steer, which looking back on it was a good decision...
The scenery was magical once again. There was an abundance of waterfalls and we were even taken on a little detour along a tunnel next to the river to see some glow worms. The guy leading the trip has only been doing it for a few months or so and said he can't believe it took him this long to find his dream job - sharing such wonderful scenery whilst enjoying a fun ride down the river. We were given a USB containing footage of our boating skills(!), so I'll stick that on here when I get the chance.
From Havelock, we drove on south to Kaikoura on the east coast. When we pulled in briefly to swap drivers, we managed to see some seals casually rolling around on the rocks! (Phil very kindly pointed out to me that those round black blobs I could see were indeed moving and very much alive.) Kaikoura is well known for its seal colonies, whale-watching and bird-watching trips. Unfortunately, we didn't arrive until about 6pm and are due to leave early in the morning, but we've been on a long walk along the coast. The views are stunning around here - the sea is the most amazing, vibrant blue and the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges provide a beautiful backdrop. I will be glad to come back and spend more time here in a few days when I'm on my coach tour.
We are staying at the Kaikoura Top 10 tonight which is nice and quiet. Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow as we have booked our first ever surfing lesson! Things are looking good at the moment - the skies are perfectly clear and I have never seen so many stars. What a night.