Kaikoura

Kaikoura is Maori for "The Eating of Crayfish" and is considered the crayfish capital of New Zealand. It is also known for being the primary whalewatching area in the country as all kinds of whales can be found here year-round. In addition, you have the multitude of other sea life to spot here, including dolphins and seals.

Wooden sculptures

One of the things I loved about this small town is the fact that you have the ocean at your doorstep and yet can see snow-capped mountains just above. It's really beautiful.

A park lined with whale bone

I did have my share of koura at a little stand an hour's walk away from town called Seafood BBQ. But I was so greedy and hungry, that I ate it before remembering to take a picture! Sorry! It was delicious though and a fraction of what restaurants were asking.

I also missed out on a chance to go whale watching. I was on standby. In the end they had 6 seats open and I was the 7th person on standby! It was not to be this time around. Perhaps it is just another sign telling me that I need to come back to this beautiful country!

The Crossing

Yesterday I did the crossing. I took the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton, port city in the South Island. I'm back on the road! What a good feeling!

The morning started brilliantly and promised a good crossing.

View from Wellington harbor out towards Cook's Strait

It's a three-hour crossing,the Cook's Strait, and I was a bit surprised to see bits of land during the entire trip. There are tons of little uninhabited islands dotting the seascape. And just as I was starting to doze off, we entered Queen Charlotte Sound and the colors were magnificent. Unfortunately, the camera couldn't give you a really good idea of the color of the water, but it was a deep turquoise. You wouldn't think that it could be cold with such a wonderful landscape, but it was quite nippy.

Here are some more photos I took as we passed through the Sound. Enjoy!

Below: video as we entered Queen Charlotte Sound, though I mentioned that it was Cook's Strait. My mistake!

Entering Picton Harbor