Kaikoura... New Zealand, South Island

Kaikoura is a small seaside town. It's on a peninsula, located on the east coast of the South Island on the South Pacific Ocean.

In 1998, I took a 6 month leave of absence from teaching to pursue part of my "bucket list." I spent 2 weeks in Kaikoura as a volunteer for Earthwatch (www.earthwatch.org). Everyday for 2 weeks, I either went out in the ocean on a Zodiac to help with scientific studies of the dusky dolphin or hiked up a big hill carrying computers and batteries--- the communication tools we used to "talk" to the boat. It was one of the most rewarding trips I've ever been on.

Well, here I am for the 3rd. time visiting this lovely village. (Bob and I also came here for a few days in 1998.) Nothing much has changed in Kaikoura; a few new hotels and a bigger grocery store have been built, but otherwise it looks the same to me. I have fond memories of Kaikoura and it doesn't disappoint on this visit. It's typical small town New Zealand--- easy on the eyes, has friendly people, great food (mussels!) and offers lots of interesting options for fun.

That last time Bob and I were here, his memorable experience was a chance to swim with the dusky dolphins. The are curious creatures who do "want" to swim with you! He loved being with them in the ocean.

One of my fondest memories is when I was out on the Zodiac. I was in charge of getting a DNA sample from a dusky. With the boat going at full throttle, I was hanging off the front bow of the Zodiac while holding on with one hand and holding a homemade DNA sampler(kind of a small plunger-type instrument) with my other hand. As we got into a group of dusky dolphins, I leaned over as far as I could without falling off. One dusky came right up close to me, turned its head and stared straight into my eyes! I gulped and gently tapped it on the side with the DNA sampler and it zoomed off! I'll never forget that eye contact.

So why do an amazing array of marine animals like the dusky dolphin and mighty sperm whale make the waters of Kaikoura their home?
... because the waters of Kaikoura are a world famous feed ground! Deep underwater trenches and canyons offer nutrient rich waters that attract them.

In Dec. of 1964, New Zealand's last whaling station closed. The Sperm Whales that live here year round have made a nice recovery. Other cetacean visitors to Kaikoura are the Blue Whale, Pilot and Minke, also Beaked, Brydes, Fin, Humpback, Sie, Southern Right Whales and Orcas.

Travel does give you an opportunity to learn more about your world.

Train trip... Picton to Kaikoura, New Zealand

Choo, choo goes the train! Our train ride from Picton to Kaikoura took about 3hours. The scenery was great... vineyards, pastureland, beaches, mountains and a salt processing area near the ocean. The train was packed with travelers. Out of Picton, we crossed the vineyards of the Wairau Plains to Blenheim, over the Dashwood Pass to the coast. We had rocky outcroppings on one side and snow clad mountains on the other.

We learned that if we were to hop off the train, jump into the Pacific Ocean and swim 5,000 miles, we'd end up in Chile!

While eating lunch in Picton, waiting for our train to leave, I spied our Ghan train friends, John and Lynn from Wisconsin! They joined us for a cup of tea and we caught up on their adventures. We found out they were going on the train too. However, they were going all the way to Christchurch. We were stopping for 2 nights in Kaikoura. We chatted, hugged and said, "Hope to see you in Queenstown." We hope to run into them again before they head back to Australia. Otherwise, we'll be sure to see them in the states some day.