New Zealand: Kaikoura

Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
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New Zealand is a mecca of outdoor activities and Kaikoura would be our first experience with it.  We arrived on a cloudy afternoon into this small coastal town, known for their whale watching tours and opportunities to swim with the dolphins.  But we opted to explore the peninsula by foot.  And the site of clear blue skies the following morning offering pristine views of the rising foothills was a great start.

We headed to the beginning of the peninsula to have a look at the local seal colony before heading up and around the top.  For miles all you could see were views of the water and pasturelands, which we were walking through.  At points we had to wait for the local “cow-wow” to end their meeting at one of the steps that take you up and over to the next field before proceeding.

[singlepic=344,225,,,right]The views all around were gorgeous and there was no better way to end our morning hike than with a hearty lunch of crayfish at the roadside bbq.  This “outside restaurant” is four roadside tables and a tow-able trailer kitchen grilling up fresh seafood.  And as Kaikoura in Maori means “food” (Kai) – “crayfish” (koura) we had to try the local delicacy.

And before you knew it we were on the road again to our next destination – Renwick, in the heart of the Marlborough wine country.

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