Kaikoura and Picton

We set off from Christchurch and drove a few hours up the coast to Kaikoura, through impossibly-green countryside, sometimes on easy straight tarmac but frequently very up-and-down and twisting.

Kaikoura, despite being on the coast, is on an incredibly steep slope. The snow-capped Kaikoura Ranges rise 2,000-plus metres to landward, and the undersea Kaikoura Canyon rapidly drops 2,000 metres not far from the shoreline.

We took a walk across the Kaikoura Peninsula, not far south of the township, and were rewarded with spectacular views and, once, the sight of a humpback whale playfully lob-tailing not far from the shore.

The peninsula is also the site of a seal colony and sea-bird breeding ground, and we walked past these at the base of the cliffs, taking in equally the fascinating sights and the retch-inducing smells.

Kaikoura also has the title of the site of New Zealand’s second-biggest earthquake - a 7.8 magnitude eruption back in 2016. Some of the memorabilia and photos of the damage were incredible.

En route to Picton, we stopped at Blenheim, and popped in to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. Partly the work (and, presumably, money) of Sir Peter Jackson, it was an excellent presentation. Aircraft from each of the two World Wars were depicted in typical situations, with extremely realistic backgrounds and mannequins. The sight of the Australian soldiers stealing the fur boots from the body of the Red Baron was a good example.

Remarkably, too, there was hardly anybody there - we didn’t sight a single other visitor as we walked around the exhibits.

The following day, we took a drive around Queen Charlotte Sound, along the tortuous scenic route to Havelock, passing pretty little seaside hamlets and spectacular cliff views - or, at least, that’s how it might have been had the incessant rain eased just slightly.

It did clear in the afternoon, so we stopped in at Pelorus Bridge for a quick look at the attractive river, and then at Cullen Point, where, after a steep, muddy and slippery 500 metres, we found stunning views for miles up Pelorus Sound.

Next, we move on to St Arnaud and then the West Coast. Czytaj więcej