Kaikoura to Kaiteriteri
We 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.
Later, we went into town and had a superb dinner at a restaurant called The Olive Branch, if I remember correctly. It had to be the best place in town. Certainly not the cheapest, but it had the most mouth watering menu. The crayfish dinners are super expensive in Kaikoura, and I would suggest foregoing the in town crayfish as you can buy them whole and steamed from roadside vendors about 10 km up the road. Crayfish is also known as the New Zealand rock lobster. When Al’s family talked about crayfish, I my initial impression was of the tiny creole critter that we get in Lousiana. Not the case I found out.
Anyway, after dinner we tucked ole Betty away on a sea side rest area/picnic area for the night. The next morning we discovered that the New Zealand longboard championships were being held just north of Kaikoura, so we head out to watch for a while. The surf was pretty variable, but there were enough periods of solid waves to view some impressive surfing. We only stayed for a few heats as we were intent on finding these roadside crayfish vendors to grab a fresh seaside feast. Now, I would recommend using the correct cracking utensils when eating rock lobster; we ended up with a few stab wounds trying to break into ours. Other than that, its a fairly easy thing to feast on, as the venders will slice them in half for you. We had ours with garlic butter and lemon.
The road from Kaikoura took us up through the popular wine region of Marlborough. We stopped in at our favorite vineyard, Huia. It has a sentimental place in our hearts, as we met the winemaker and proprietor, Mike Allan. He and his wife were trained in producing Champagne, and their wines are quite highly rated. We went in for a tasting but unfortunaltely Mike was too busy and no where around for us to say hello. We did buy a few bottles though.
After our wine tasting we rung Alan’s aunt and uncle in Nelson to stay for a few nights. John and Linda are warm and friendly hosts and I really appreciated their open invitation, even though they had friends in town. Dennis and his daughter Carolyn were visiting from Australia. Dennis retired there from England 20 years ago and had great stories to tell. He, along with his daughter, are very well travelled and I was delighted with their stories of the harrowing landings in the old Hong Kong airport and his experiences as a younger fellow, travelling, hiking, getting married.
We stayed two nights in Nelson. Saturday we went to the market in town. Craftsman come every Saturday morning, set up booths, and sell their wares in a parking square in the center of town. You can find everything from fresh fruit, flowers, jewelry, clothes, hats, food, art, pottery, and a bunch more stuff I can’t remember at the moment. We also strolled around a few gardens in the city and managed to fit in a tour of a local brewery. I couldn’t really follow the brewing process as our guide took the four of us that managed to show up through the back, to all of the tanks and such where the magic happens. In fact, I was completely lost. The best part was the tasting, and seeing what went into each of their beers.
From Nelson we went to Motueka to prepare for our Abel Tasman tramp. We planned for three nights along this coastal track, along beaches, across tidal crossing, and through the coastal rain forest. We gave ourselves a day to pack and to stay along the beach in Kaiteriteri. The beaches along the northern coast of the South Island are gorgeous and its a great location for a long trek. The kayaking is also pretty good from what I hear.
Tags: Nelson, New Zealand, Travel
Christen and Al
Hey guys! Great post. That has to be the largest crayfish I’ve ever seen. Can you imagine an Etoufe made with a dozen of those? BTW, Nanny loved her birthday message.
We all miss you. Wish you were here. (Actually we wish we were there!) We had a great meal. Love your pictures, send more. We all love you both.
Bev, Uncle Larry, Aunt Andy, Kelsey, Mom, Dad, Nanny, Papa, Josh, Nikolas. Talk to you soon.