Kaikoura

Leave Twizel with a long drive ahead of us: destination Kaikoura for the next three nights. We definitely want to bypass Christchurch, so aim for the Inland Scenic Highway. Don't know whether it makes the trip longer but it certainly makes it more pleasant by avoiding the flat farmlands of the Canterbury plains. At Fairlie, connect to route 79, get into rolling hills, signs to gorges, mountain ranges in the distance, then route 72 at Geraldine. More mountain ranges. Lots of sheep, of course. Stop at the town of Rangiora for coffee and a raspberry muffin – great coffee and nicest-looking baked goods we have seen so far.

Back to route 72, getting closer to the coast. Hadn't expected to have mountain ranges on both sides. Fantastic – not spectacular and not photogenic but great to drive through – the word "scenic" here is very appropriate. At some point – Cheviot? – road gets steep and windy. Join SH-1 at Amberly, hard to imagine at times that this is the state highway for all traffic – no other options. We are behind a very big truck chugging up the steep hills. Then we see a sign with a warning that the next 12 km will be especially windy – certainly keeps the driver alert! 

Descend to the coast. Pull off SH-1 into Kaikoura and find the Panorama Motel – gull awaits us on the balcony. Fantastic view. Time to have some dinner after a full day's drive, with only brief coffee and lunch stops. There are two recommended restaurants only a 5-minute walk from the motel. Chose the Green Dolphin. Kaikoura is known for its crayfish, and there were plenty of other diners attacking them with relish, not us. We chose a local fish (Tarakihi) and seafood pasta, both great.

Wake up to a fantastic display of frolicking Dusty dolphins out in the "bay", just outside our window. Seem to be about 50 of them - they are curious about the kayaks in their midst. What a sight!

Peninsula Walkway: a Kaikoura must! Limestone formations, seaweed, kelp, limpets, seals, birds. What a combination of natural wonders – a whole universe: macro- and micro. Since it is low tide we walk along the exposed rocks – this is where the action is! Fur seals everywhere. Spent most of the day there.

Next day’s agenda: whale watching, we hope. 

Expectations tend to be high whenever you travel – you've heard about a place or activity, read about it, been dreaming about it. There were times when our expectations weren't met – wrong time of year, not for us, rained out, whatever. And there times when our expectations were exceeded, taken totally by surprise. Our biggest disappointment was "whale watching" in Kaikoura. That is because we – along with the other 50+ people on the boat, other hopeful tourists on a similar boat, and yet others in a helicopter hovering above – all had unrealistic expectations. Whale watching sounds very cool and is therefore very popular. If you are going to do it, you need to book tickets in advance, which we did. The sea was calm, the sun was shining, we saw dolphins showing off, but we didn't see the whale do that thing that we all were waiting for: thrust through the water's surface, leap into the air, flip its tail and dive down again. That's because we don't know anything about whale behavior. As we learned, they surface for only about 5 minutes to get air. And in February/March, they hang around Kaikoura to feed, not to breed. So the chances of seeing a sperm whale flying into the air for our benefit were slim. It happens – but you need to prepare yourself for disappointment. The company guarantees 80% refund if you do not see a whale, any part of it that is. They do make an effort to locate the whale – not only for commercial reasons but I think they get a thrill, too, when they can spot a whale-

Oh well.

Moral of the story: spend your time and money on another activity. Or, visit at a time of year when the probability of the whale surfacing is greater.

Disappointed, we need to figure out how to spend the rest of the day. Go to I-Site to find out what’s available. Swimming with dolphins? Only times available are 5:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. the following day. Øv. Sea kayaking 16:30? Yes! NZD 95 per person. I-Site makes the booking – done deal. We are not deterred by the fact that we have never kayaked before.

Pull up to the Kaikoura Kayak office at 16:00 – met by two women "older than us", who had just returned from their kayak adventure; they were buzzing with excitement from their close encounter with hundreds of dolphins frolicking around their kayaks. One of the women had an underwater camera – smart! With even higher expectations, our guides drive us (a party of 10) to South Bay Marina. Get safety instructions and a demonstration of how to quickly take off the "skirt" if we capsize. Sea is still calm. Sun beating down – need hat and sunglasses. We're looking good – we're told ;-) Paddle out to seals feeding – wonderful to see up close – just not too close! Cannot take photos without risking the camera getting wet, or us capsizing!

Terns soaring above. And a young blue-eyed penguin swimming along – at last! Fantastic to see the cliffs from the water. The kayaks congregate – resting or just hanging around waiting for a radio message about dolphins? Alas, no. The dolphins have moved on. Too bad – but it was still a fabulous experience. Return to base at 19:48.