Up to Ward Beach

The worst of the storm seemed to have blown itself northwards this morning and we set off in (mostly) blue skies and sunshine to explore the shops in Kaikoura. Didn’t take long! After coffee and a scone and a brisk walk along part of the beach we headed north again, this time bound for Ward Beach.
A couple of funny things have happened… before we left home, we decided to lighten the load in the motorhome by decanting some of our spirits (not that we’ve taken a lot!) out of glass and into plastic bottles. Unfortunately, we also travel with a couple of (the same) plastic bottles full of water, which we use for making cups of tea, etc. So you can imagine how easy it was to get them mixed up! We did manage to work out that it was vodka we were pouring into the kettle BEFORE we turned it on, but sadly Charlie didn’t realise he was taking a big swig of neat vodka to wash down his pills last night until he was choking on it!
The Kaikoura coast is a beautiful drive, and although we’ve traveled it several times before, we have never done it at such a relaxed pace. We stopped several times today to take in the dramatic coastal vista, pick up a crayfish from the iconic Nin’s Bin, and watch the young seal pups at play on the rocks around Ohau Point. The cliffs above the Point are the only place in the world where a particular species of rock daisy grows. The species was almost wiped out when 95% of the known plants were obliterated when the cliffs collapsed in the Kaikoura earthquake. Seeds from the remaining plants have been cultivated and replanted around the Point.
Karen and John have been frequent visitors to Ward Beach, but this is the first time we have been here. It’s a stunning spot – we are overnighting at a ‘park-over property’ (or POP) which is privately owned land made available to NZMCA members in return for a donation. We are parked on a slightly elevated section overlooking the sea and have been for a walk up the beach to the Ward Beach Boulders – similar to those at Moeraki only a little smaller – which were raised out of the sea during the earthquake.
Tonight for dinner we will enjoy our crayfish with garlic bread and salad – and a bottle of bubbly… Bliss!Read more