So I dont really have time to go into detail, but to whet the appetite for the next time I get online, check out the photos...

We spent two ish days here. The views were epic, we both agreed its the nicest place we have ever been, the most scenic, and we want to go back!!! There is a lovely penisula to the East of the town with two Seal colonies (not the singer the animal). We also had the emmense joy and privilege to swim with wild Dusky Dolphins, hundreds of them, and within touching distance.... they swam over to us and circled around and played with us.... best thing Regina has ever done, not far off it for me.... Loved it!!!! When I have time I will write a bit more, or maybe Regina will, she still thinks she is a Dolphin as it is :)

Writing this on Christmas day, so anyone who reads it... HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM DAVID AND REGINA

OK, we are back in the land of the backpacker so I can write this a bit better I hope. For a start, its spelt Kaikoura, and it means To eat Crayfish in mauri (did I mention that already, Im not reading back over it still). Well we didnt actually eat any crayfish so I guess thats not really that important is it. The Mauri story of how New Zealand was created also centres around this place. This giant god like fella named Maui (I think), went fishing with a hook made from his mothers rib and baited with a cloth doused in his own blood which he got by boxing himself in the nose. Anyway, he caught a giant fish and when he tried to real it in he had to dig into his canoe, hence forming the Kaikoura penisula out of the something of the canoe. The fish he landed became the North Island, and his Canoe is the south Island... I think this story is a litte far fetched to be honest!!!!

Still, it was an amazingly beautiful place as I know I mentioned earlier. On the first day we got there I went off running around the penisula past the two seal colonies and the bird nesting grounds, and with the gales blowing in my face over the sandy grain sown hills. It was one of those epic battle in your mind kind of runs, I have never experienced such a powerful wind.... not even in Cuzco up the mountains ;). When I got back to the hostel, we had dinner and then took a drive back up to see the seals in the sea. They looked dead to be honest, and only for Regina throwing stones at them they could well have been dead, obviously they moved and chased us down the beach, thats how we know they were alive.... obviously! We headed back to the car and off back to the hostel where there were some hippys playing guitar in the main room, it was groovy!!!!!

The next day we had booked the dolphin diving, as mentioned above.... wowwowowowowowowowow!!!!! We got in and got our wet suits fitted and had a little orientation video where they really went to town on emphazing that the dolphins were wild and couldnt be guaranteed. We took a bus to the other side of the Island and on the way we managed to see one of the weirdest coolest amazingist deadliest things I have ever seen (and couldnt get the camera out in time to prove it), it was a cloud.... no wait there is more.... it was a rainbow cloud in the sky..... wait there is still more...... it was in the shape of a flying bird.... if I could draw I would stick up a drawing of it, but it was fricken awesome to see, sadly just as I got the camera out it ahd blown away, still I will see it every time I think about this amazing place. Right, sidetrack over, on to the boat and off we go... 25 mins out to sea and we see a million dolphins doing somersaults and dives and just having a laugh basically. The captain sounds the siren and we all slip off the back of the boat and into the water... chilly!!!! Within seconds the dolphins have swam over to meet us and are all around us swimming right up to us and under us and around us and they are so close you can see the whites of their eyes as they circle you. For a while we just look down into the water and watch them zoom by as we sing and shout and talk to them. Some of them take an interest and swim up and around you, and we do our best to circle with them (we had been told to entertain them as best we could to keep them there). Five times we got in and out of the water, the last being the most successful for me personally... I even got to interact with a very rare black dusky (he is actually dark grey), he seemed to take an interest in me and circled me a few times with his buddy too. I was late getting back to the boat that time.... woops.

Hopefully you get the picture, but some how I doubt it. The looks on everyones faces when we got out each time (especially this little girl named Regina Harrington aged 25 from Kenmare). It was better than christmas day opening your presents when you are a child. Everyone, and there were oldies in the group too simply couldnt believe it and we all just smiled at each other for the whole trip... it must be done by everyone!!!

Well that was more or less it for Kaikoura, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed doing it (doubtful I know). Next stop is Nelson for Christmas day.....