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| Kelp | Shag | Seal |
I'm having a rest day in Kaikoura. It's a nice sunny day, but the forecast is good for the next few days too, so I don't feel I should be cycling!
I spent the morning walking around the Peninsula, starting on the limestone ledges left by the low tide, and returning on the cliff tops. The shoreline walk used to be listed as a "thing to do" but is left off recent leaflets, so it was almost deserted. I walked along in the sunny solitude looking at the seabirds - the shag was the most impressive - tidal pools, and mountain scenery across the bay. Towards the end I was wandering among basking seals, sometimes coming too close for comfort since they were scattered over where I needed to walk. They seemed pretty lazy in the sun, and beyond lifting their heads and occasionally snorting, didn't look too disturbed. The seals weren't as active as the ones I saw when I was cycling yesterday, and seemed to be solo rather than family groups.
The return cliff top walk gave even better views of the Kaikoura Mountains. At one point some people claimed I could see a whale, but I couldn't tell what was a boat wake and what might be a whale. Whale watching trips are one of the tourist things to do here, as well as swimming with the seals and dolphins, but I haven't felt much like doing these organized activities on this trip. The whole walk was about 8 miles, which is enough exercise for a rest day, so I'm lazing around in cafes and Internet spots in the town for the afternoon, and planning the last few days cycling. I decided I like Kaikoura except for the strip coming in: the rest of the town is pleasant and relaxing.
There's a couple of other cyclists staying at the B&B tonight (two men from England). I met them in town and we chatted a bit (they had a short day today, so were just hanging out too). They have a similar spirit to me, cycling 60-80 miles a day and "we are not tourists" so don't do any of the touristy things. They are actually travelling the same route as me tomorrow, planning on going all the way to Hanmer Springs, so maybe I'll have sporadic company.