Kaikoura

I spent yesterday driving to Kaikoura.  The drive was beautiful--brilliant-green rolling hills backed by snow-capped mountains and finally rugged ocean views--and only required a little more than average concentration to stay on the left side of the road,   I returned the rental car to the agency with the cleanest windshield in history since I routinely turned on the window washer instead of the right turn signal.

Kaikoura is on the coast 2.5 hours north of Christchurch.   A 7.8 earthquake nearly destroyed the town in 2016 and left it without land access for almost a year.  Repairs on the road are ongoing, slowing down the drive considerably and leaving few turnouts for picture taking.   The town itself is famous for its whale and bird watching and for its colonies of seals.  They were all apparently in hiding, except for the sleepy fellow above who blocked my way on the boardwalk.

More pics are below.  Antarctica, you ask?  We're scheduled to go today at noon but I just finished packing so I'm expecting a cancellation in short order.  To quote my brother, Jeff, "You could have swum there by now".

UPDATE:  Cancelled after packing, eating breakfast, and schlepping everything to the lobby.  Again.











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