Kaikoura & Nelson

January 24, 2016

Last November, after we left Christchurch we headed north towards Kaikoura, making our way towards the north of the South Island. Kaikoura is known for its diverse marine life of mainly whales, dolphins, sea lions and seals. The drive into the small town itself was a sight. The road followed the rocky beach line as it winded in and out around the coastal hills. Kaikoura itself was a small town and we drove to this lookout point shown below. The whale tours were way out of our budget and having seen lots in Australia, we decided to pass. We headed north and visited this waterfall with seals swimming in the streams and splashing in the waterfalls. They looked to have been quite enjoying themselves! They’re funny little creatures.

After Kaikoura we headed north to Sawcut Gorge. Emma and Marsha, our friends from Queenstown, were planning on meeting us there! It was really exciting because we hadn’t seen them since they left a month or so prior. Sawcut Gorge itself was quite a hike. I don’t have any photos of it because I didn’t bring my camera because it was a three hour hike along a rocky riverbed. I mistakenly wore my sandals and it was hard to cross the river with the slippery rocks with the current. I definitely slipped a handful of times. I was surprised by how many times we had to cross it in general. Once we got towards the end I saw Emma in the distance! It was a good sight and we swam in some of the bigger pools and did nothing for an hour or so. Emma ended up getting attacked by some eel that bit her a few times. Haha. It was a nasty looking thing.

After the Sawcut Gorge we headed north towards Nelson. We did a winery day and visited a handful of wineries in the Marlborough region and tried free wine and bought some bottles for ourselves later that night! It was a long day but a good one none the less. After the Marlborough wine tours we headed towards Nelson. Nelson is the start of the northernmost part of the South Island. It is the start of the area known as the Golden Bay. The Golden Bay is the hippie, sunny area of New Zealand. The vibe is extremely laid back and the people are really friendly, per usual. This area, the Golden Bay area is my favorite part of the South Island besides the Queenstown/Wanaka/Fiordland area. In the Golden Bay area we went to Able Tasman National Park and the Farewell Spit but that’s for another time!

Previous Posts of the New Zealand Road Trip:

Fox and Franz Joseph Glacier:
https://ontheloosejuice.com/…/…/fox-and-franz-joseph-glacier/

Hokitika, Arthurs Pass & Christchurch
https://ontheloosejuice.com/2016/01/24/hokitika-arthurs-pass-christchurch/