Sunrise in KaikouraBreakfast on the beach. How often do you have the chance to do that? The beach in Kaikoura is nothing but rock, but that does not take away one bit from its beauty. Kaikoura is one of the few places in the world where the mountains begin right at the ocean. We’re talking mountains here with snow, not just high cliffs. The beauty is stunning, especially when you add an incredible sunrise. It kind of makes you want to get up in the morning! And yet, I was all alone on this incredible shoreline. Not one person passed me as I munched on my cheese scone – breathing it all in. Just me and the seagulls. :+)
Today was our whale watching excursion in Kaikoura. Mostly there are Giant Sperm whales, but there are also Orcas and Blue whales. We were warned to take the motion sickness medicine. Now, I’ve been whale watching many times in California – so I almost didn’t take anything. Glad I did! The waters are much, much rougher off the coast of New Zealand than California – and the tour company uses these speed boats which literally flew off the water from time to time. Needless to say,, we all were required to be in our seats indoors. When the crew did spot a whale, they would stop the boat and let us get up from our seats. I’m sure you can imagine – a boatload of people pushing and shoving to the three exits so they could secure a good viewing spot. Aside from that aspect of it, I had great time. We saw four whales (2 at one time once!) And each time we were able to see the tail of the whale as it dove down in the ocean. That part is always amazing to see.
We’re on our way now to Christchurch to have dinner with the principals of our last school visits. I’ve made contact with an ESOL teacher at St. Martin’s and I’m looking forward to the visit. I’ll write one more time from New Zealand and then hopefully you will hear from me in Mongolia!
