Kaikoura

Kaikoura, despite being very small is so nice, and there is so much to do! I stayed at the Aldephi Lodge, which was recommended to me by my friend Cahale, and is right on the promenade, over looking the beach! Kaikoura is not only right on the beach, but it is also surrounded by mountains! It is so beautiful! The first day I went whale watching, which was amazing! We were out on the water for 3 hours and not only got to see seals, and so many birds, but we also got to sail around the peninsular and saw 5 sperm whales! They were so big, being on average 17metres long! You could see them from a mile away, just from their blow holes spurting water! The best part of watching them was when they arched their backs and got ready to dive down in the sea; their tales would come up out of the water and you would get the perfect photo opportunity, before it disappeared for up to an hour at a time.

The next day I went on a 3 hour walk to the seal colony; which turned out to be a very interesting walk! I saw over 15 seals all lazying around on the rocks by the sea, which was really cool because they were in the wild! Then I started the hike around the bay up on the hilltops! I felt like a kid again, hoping over stiles and walking through fields! It is so strange to think the effort I make now to see a nice view! From the hillside I could see all the cliffs and the beaches, as well as the mountains over the fields- covered in snow, it was so pretty! However, what I was not expecting was to walk through a field of cow s***, which you literally felt you could fall in head-first with each step, it was everywhere! Again, reminding me of those camping days! Then, when I thought it couldn't not get any more funny, there were at least 200 cows all staring at me, blocking my path! I had to fight my way through them while they just stood there chatting away! Then, I made it back to the path, to find that I had to jump an electric fence! The fence was just too short to go underneath, but just too tall to step over for little me, without getting zapped! After a few moment of deliberation, I opted to roll underneath! It was so funny, and I have no idea how I made it back without being covered in s***! It was such a nice, and comical walk!

Kaikoura, was definitely a nice surprise, as I had no idea what to expect!