Kaikoura to Kaiteriteri
Friday, March 24th, 2006We began the top half of our figure-8 around the South Island without Saura. It took a few days to adjust, but it was for the best. We have much more freedom now and it won’t be too long before she joins the family again.
We left Christchurch for Kaikoura, a town situated around a bay on the east coast, guarded closely by mountains. The clouds were low when we arrived, and we drove down the hillside to the bay into a cool eerie atmosphere of an abandoned coastal ghost town. It wasn’t deserted of course, but the tourist season did seem over for Kaikoura. It was too chilly for a vacation at the beach, but we did endulge in the two things Kaikoura is probably best known for, its seal colony and fresh crayfish.
We drove to the seal colony first thing. There were a few older fellows laying out on the rocky coast; the younger, more active seals must have been out at sea. Its funny how seals are almost exactly like dogs, they bark, they give birth to pups, they scratch behind their ears with their back flippers. Its not recommended, but we did get in close proximity to a few of the seals. These were into their golden years, and didn’t show any signs of swiftness. Not enough to charge after the onlookers. To be warned though, they say the young males can travel very fast over short distances and are quite aggressive during breeding season.
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Christen and Al