From Lavender To Seals In Kaikoura

Since we had stayed at a lavender farm overnight, we decided to get some pictures in their gardens. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of lavender left in bloom. It was still very pretty though. I enjoyed lavender tea and lavender honey on fresh scones for breakfast. Dave ate three eggs which had been laid that morning!

After breakfast, Dave and Donny participated in a Maori cultural experience. (Dave will need to write his own blog post about his bone carving and Maori experiences!) I decided to undertake the 11.6 kilometre (just over 7 miles) Kaikoura Peninsula Walk. The first few kilometres were just going through town and not very interesting. However, after I passed the Point Kean Seal Colony, the views and walking improved considerably.

I was walking along a cliff with the ocean below me and it was gorgeous. I ran into enough people that I didn't feel completely alone, but few enough people that it didn't feel overpopulated. Unfortunately two things conspired to make the walk less than pleasant. Sadly, I have caught yet another cold. sigh. So I was low on energy and short of breath. Second of all, the last part of the walk was not well signed and I went in the wrong direction. Therefore, instead of finishing the walk, I completed a 25 minute walk only to end up in the same place. And I still had another half hour of walking left. The last few blocks of the walk, back in town, I was practically limping and couldn't wait to sit down and take off my shoes!

The views were incredible though and the weather was fairly cooperative -- it only rained slightly for part of the time.

I convinced the others that we really all needed to make a trip to the seal colony before we left town and they agreed. And then we had a three and a half hour drive to Nelson. I was so wiped out from my three hour walk and my cold that I slept most of the way there. We got settled into our B&B for the night, grabbed some supper, and went to bed. Despite my afternoon nap, I had a good night's sleep. I think I have being sick and still being slightly jet lagged to thank for that.

*To read about Days 5 and 6, go here.