On Friday, March 2, after two weeks and 1,742km (1,082 miles), it was time to leave the north island.
Getting Sunny Greg and myself onto the ferry was more straightforward than I had feared, and as I accidentally left my coat in the car and it was too cold and windy to spend long on the observation deck, I slept for most of the crossing, which took about four hours.
I checked into the hostel at Kaikoura, which had an even better view than the one at National Park, as not only could I see snow-capped mountains, but it was right by the sea. Nick, who works at the hostel, said the mountains aren’t usually covered in snow this early in the year. I did the Peninsula Walkway and saw half a dozen cute fur seals lazing about on the shore, as well as a hedgehog.
But then it started to rain. A LOT.
Today, I was supposed to go whale watching, but all trips got cancelled because of the weather. The ferries were cancelled too, and I have spent the day thinking it would have been better to be stuck in Wellington than stuck here. There’s not much to do in Kaikoura, though it’s been so unpleasant I haven’t wanted to step outside. The mountains are totally lost in the cloud. I have been catching up on this blog, writing emails, watching the raging sea from the window, watching TV, reading and keeping Maria from Germany company. Fingers crossed for tomorrow…
On a positive note, I have just about recovered from my major sunburn now!