(DAY 16)

Kia Ora!

Again, the sunshine was out and greeted us bright and early. By 10.30am we were back at the whale watching office and there was a couple booking a forty minute flight, which was slightly more expensive, but they needed an extra person to go with them. Having waited for days for a single person to come with us, Kie said he'd miss out on the whale watching to let Sophie go up in the helicopter with the couple who were waiting. Within the hour Sophie was in the helicopter and ready to go.

The helicopter was up and out at sea within minutes, we just arrived as a whale was up and about to dive. Although we were hunting the sea for signs of another whale, we couldn't see any. The pilot decided to take us over to see the dolphins before returning to the whales. There were small pods of approximately six or seven dolphins travelling together which was lovely to see but we were in for a much bigger surprise when there was a pod of over 400 dolphins! It was unbelievable. We returned to the area where the whales were and were lucky enough to see another whale that had come to the surface. Unfortunately, having two boats near him and an aeroplane circling him, it was against regulations for us to be there as there is a three vessel limit. We hung around long enough to get some photos and watch him for a little while before we swiftly headed back to shore. We were also able to see the whole of Kaikoura and take aerial photos of the town. It was a great trip and definitely worth the money, and the wait.

Once Sophie had landed and returned to the office, we were disappointed to hear that there was a woman looking for a couple to fly with so Kie had missed out for nothing. On the plus side, he had saved himself some money. We decided not to hang around in Kaikoura for another night and headed straight to Hanmer Springs where there are thermal pools and spas to relax in. We arrived at around 3pm and spent the next hour and a half chilling in the heated pools and relaxing under the jets. The sun was shining and it was nice to relax in the pools while catching some rays. Hanmer Springs is a small place and there wasn't much else to do. After a bit of calculation, we decided to ring Lauren and Louis and ask if we were able to return to Christchurch early and stay with them a few extra days. Thankfully Lauren answered and was happy for us to arrive a couple of days early so we swiftly got on the way.

We arrived back in Christchurch before dark and saw some of the damage that the earthquake had done which was quite eerie. Lauren cooked a lovely chilli con carne and we caught up on the last few days before watching TV and going to bed.

xx