We took the ferry from Wellington to the South Island and then took the coastal railway from Picton to the seaside town of Kaikoura (population 3,500), known for its volcanic black-sand beaches.

The Cook Straight was fairly smooth going. I could feel the rocking of the ferry but it wasn't bad and we all made it across without any sea sickness. I was talking to the coffee guy (very good looking) on the ferry who told me that there were 2 pods of dolphins following the ship from Welly for a while. So I kept going back out periodically to brave the cool winds again and again and had nothing but wind blown hair to show for it. 
 
We disembarked the ferry and went straight to the scenic railway for a 21/2 hour ride to Kaikoura. I know this is getting monotonous for you but the scenery here is out of this world.…mountains, ocean, hills and dales abundant with sheep and cows and birds and seals. Again, heaven. I wish you were all here with us. You'd LOVE it. We had a nice trip sitting and chatting with Ian and Trish (Aussies from Adelaide). Our stop came very quickly and we were all scrambling to get our stuff and disembark the train. Then it was a quick bus ride to Kaikoura. We stopped at a place where seals frequent and were lucky to see some. I tried my best seal imitation (to everyone's surprise) and I actually got her (the seal) to move around. I was ecstatic. I went to the washroom still high on seeing the seals up close and personal and having a chat with them, and came out and said "that was awesome!" and Auto said "what, the washroom?" It got a good laugh from everyone. Between you and me I think they think I'm nutty. They are all so staid and serious most of the time. I don't care.…I'm just living in the moment and expressing my feelings as I feel them. It's not ruining the trip at all. 

Captain Cook sailed past the Kaikoura Peninsula in 1770, naming the place "Lookers On" because of the reticence of the local Maori. The first European settlers and whalers arrived in 1842. The town is still known for its marine wildlife, due to the presence of very deep water and the mixing of warm and cold ocean currents, which forces nutrients to the surface. 

Kaikoura (kai meaning food, koura meaning crayfish) is situated at the base of a small peninsula which provides shelter for the fishing boats that work out of here. The crayfish or rock lobster they catch are sold freshly cooked at roadside stalls. Kaikoura is backed by the snowcappped 2610 m peaks of the Seaward Kaikoura Range. Apparently this is one of the few places in the world with such awesome mountains so close to the sea and so much wildlife - whales, dolphins, seals, penguins, and seabirds (shearwaters, petrels and albatross). Marine animals are abundant due to the ocean-current and continental-shelf conditions: the sea bed gradually slopes away from the land to a depth of about 90 m, then plunges to more than 800 m - warm and cold water converges. When the southerly current hits the continental shelf it creates a upwelling, bringing nutrients up fro the ocean floor into the feeding zone.  

I'm really excited for tomorrow. We're going to swim with the dolphins in the open ocean. I can't wait!!!