Seals, shags and champagne

We travelled from Wellington to Kaikoura early, getting the interislander ferry from Welly to Picton. The crossing was quite rough and sick bags were handed out in bunches! We moved to the back of the boat where it was a lot steadier however we were treated to a super loud episode of homes under the hammer or something similar (we thought we'd escaped day time tele!) 

We arrived in picton to a cloudy day, there was a bit of rain on the journey down the east coast but the scenery soon showed itself to be possibly even more beautiful than the North Island! There was the sea on one side, rolling hills immediately on the other and snow topped mountains In the distance. We drove quite a windy journey for about two hours before we reached Kaikoura. 

Kaikoura isn't a destination often visited by backpackers, it is however famous for dusky dolphin experiences and whale watching trips. This was why we'd made the trip. we booked onto a swimming with dolphins experience (despite the temperature being below ten degrees) for the next day. And headed to our hostel. 'Dusky lodge' a building very reminiscent of a ski chalet. (Chilly like a ski chalet too) 

We decided we'd watch the sunset out the back of the hostel, make our dinner and sit by the fire and read. This was a really relaxing way to end the day before what we didn't realise would be a whirlwind in the morning! 

The next morning the dolphin encounter was cancelled due to bad weather. This seemed so hard to believe as the sunrise was as gorgeous as the previous nights sunset. The sea seemed really calm and there was very little wind. We decided to set off on the peninsula walk around to South Bay. This was where we realised why it might not be appropriate weather for a boat trip. The winds were quick and the waves were huge. 

The walk however was one of the most picturesque we've been on. Walking away from some snow capped mountains we watched the ocean lapping at the rocks 

On the beach at North bay, Kaikoura 

Wooden bench 

Writing in the sand (of course)

We walked around the point of the  peninsula and came across a seal in the tree. It was so still we thought it was dead. But actually it was just having a snooze. As we continued to walk we realised they were everywhere. Some just metres away 

Next to the boardwalk

Baby pups

Roadblock

Snoozing

It was so cool to see these animals in the wild, completely happy in their natural habitat. They made some funny gutterall noises and some had coughs like old men!  Oh and we saw some 'shags' we thought they were penguins... A bit disappointing 

The views of the mountains were spectacular. We could've taken photos and enjoyed the seals for hours but we wanted to get back before lunch and our potential second attempt at the dolphin encounter 

We went round the tip along the clifftop walk. Looking below you could see the rocks polka dotted with seals. The wind got stronger and the waves crashed harder as we reached South Bay. Cutting through back to the Dolphin Encounter headquarters we were filled with such excitement and anticipation of the prospect of going on our trip that afternoon

To our great disappointment it was cancelled again. They booked us on for the next morning but with no guarantee this would go ahead either , the weather just hadn't been favourable for days (much like the situation with the Tongariro  crossing) this meant we had to rethink our plans for the afternoon

We decided we'd get our shopping done, for that evening, for packed lunches with maybe a few treats to cheer us up. And then go for a short walk before heading to the jacuzzi and sauna in the hostel. The short walk ended up being the tail end of what the walking app on our phone said was 28km of strolling that day! 

Hiking through the woods

Twitcher for a day 

We treated ourselves to our new favourite New Zealand sparkling wine whilst watching the sunset on our balcony! 

A perfect end to a fantastic day

Our legs so tired from the walking we dipped in the jacuzzi, not as bubbly and a little bit green but nice and warm! And then I to the sauna for a good chill out! 

We chatted to some other travellers and munched back a jacket potato before heading to bed to get ready for our next attempt at swimming with the Dolphins 

In the morning we heAded down to the headquarters for 830, we were told to put on all the gear, wetsuit, gloves, socks, to take flippers, masks, snorkels and make our way on the bus to the boat off South Bay. The weather conditions were apparently perfect but no Dolphins had been spotted. We went out for abor 2 hours, we didn't see any :(

We saw an albatross

And a sperm whale far off in the distance 

but no Dolphins.

It was a lovely day for a boat ride, the sun was shining and the other marine life all put on a show but it had been somethjnf we were looking forward to since Vanuatuu and a little disappointing to say the least. 

We hope to see some up in bay of islands! Wish us luck! Onto Christchurch later :)