Day 15: I’m on a boat (again!)

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After a full night of rain we had hoped it would clear during the day, but unfortunately it did not.
Luckily, the wind died down quite a bit, as it had caused for a full on stop of the whale watching boats yesterday. None had sailed.

Today though, everything was going out, and we were to be on the 07:15 boat. We were warned that it would be rough outside, and boy were they right! Kirsten had grabbed a anti seas sickness pill from their own local pharmacy, and I did not as I usually don’t get sea sick. Apparently, this time I did.
As did the entire boat. Green faces all over the place, and the only cheerful people in there were the crew.
I guess I was lucky, as I only suffered from it for a couple of minutes in the last half hour, but for the other 50+ people on the boat it must have been the longest 2,5 hours of their lives.

The boat and the ride were both great by the way! A jet powered catamaran with airplane like seats in it for optimal comfort, and equipped with enough power to go fast. The boats are designed for whale watching on a large scale, and they are lovely for doing so.
It is just the weather which does not fully cooperate.

We’ve seen 2 Sperm Whales, and a really large school of Dusky Dolphins and just had a blast doing so. Even in the rain!

After the adventure on the water we would have liked to walk around the peninsula, as we were told the coastal walkway offered the best viewings of the surrounding scenic country. As it was still raining cats and dogs we decided that was not for us today which lead to us getting in the car and driving a leisurely drive along the coast down towards Christchurch. As we are destined to go north tomorrow, we quickly returned to our B&B to visit the sheep shearing show the host is giving. Peter is not only running the B&B with his wide Gwenda, but is also shearing two sheep a day for tourists while explaining more about the farm, the shearing process and the sheep in NZ. It is a great way to spend some time on a rainy day like today.

As we were fed up with being outside, we also bought tickets in the local cinema to go check out the second part of The Hobbit. It is in 2D only, so we have to see the 3D version when we’re back in NL!
Tomorrow, we are off again, this time to Abel Tasman NP. We heard from some people we met today that they had been lying on the beach in swimwear only hours before arriving in Kaikoura, so we are looking forward to that already!