On Wednesday we headed off to Kaikoura on the East coast of the South Island. We picked up four new people on the way; three Italians and an American. The journey took up most of the morning and we got there in time for a whale watching trip, but it was cancelled because they had swum out of the boats' range. Nevertheless, we rebooked for the following morning (a 6:15 sailing!) and headed off down the coast.
After a stroll through the small village, we had the option of going for a walk then a short cycle, or doing a much longer cycle. Since it was such a nice day, I decided to go for the former and it must have been one of the best choices I've made since I've been here.
The walking track went up and over a headland that juts out into the Pacific, so you got a great view back over two bays and onto the land. The weather was perfect and the scenery was beyond beautiful. You could see the beaches, followed by the bright blue water, the land and then the mountains behind. It was like someone had come along and painted the scene for us; it was too good to be true. A sign at the top of the cliff summed it up, "Is this the best view in New Zealand?"
After a couple of hours walking and taking pictures, we met back up at the bus and then cycled off down the coast for 9km towards the campsite. It was a flat and easy ride, made even better by such an awesome landscape.
Our campsite was right on the beach, so we could walk along the sand at sunset with the Pacific on our right and a range of mountains on our left. I've never been anywhere quite like it.
