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The morning started at an ungodly hour, but after a dash to catch my bus to Kaikoura it was sleepy time for the 3.5 hour bus ride. Its a beautiful town. Huge mountains give way to lush, green hills/farmland give way to the ocean. Upon arrival I headed to the tourist centre to find out what Kaikoura had to offer. They have scuba diving, kayaking, whale watching, and swimming with the dolphins, but they are a little costly. I got some maps for hikes and brochures. Over breakfast I picked out activities for the day. It was supposed to be a 45-minute walk to the seal colony and the bluffs overlooking town. It was also the right price, free! The walk was great, the sun was out, and the wind was blowing gentle. A little over half-way is the Fyffe House. Its the oldest house in town and belonged to a former whaler in town. The Fyffe House is also the place where they uncovered the largest Moa egg ever. For the non-biology people, its an extinct long-legged bird. I think something akin to a large ostrich, but not sure. Walking around the house was pretty cool and a nice break from the walk.
Then it was back on track to the seal colony. Two hours after leaving town I finally made it and there were seals everywhere. One was in the grass lounging, they were on the rocks getting some nice oceanspray, sunning near the carpark, and one was under a campervan! I guess the people had to wait for it to move before they could. Time was starting to be an issue, so I made the very short hike up the bluff and was rewarded with more great views. I literally spent the day in awe of my surroundings and that was enough. Other activities were gravy! But it was time to head for town and my feet were more than a little sore. After about 50 minutes of really pushing it to get back to town, I had to stop and take of my shoes for a minute - just to confirm that my feet weren't as bad off as they felt. Wrong - my left sock had a red spot about 3 inches in diameter. That made the walk so much worse, but I finally made the walk back in a grand total of 70 minutes. Even with the foot aches it was well worth it.
I had time for a fried seafood basket (oh so tasty) and a Speight's Old Dark before boarding the bus to come home. Oh, and a trip to the pharmacy for bandaids! I meant to stay awake and enjoy the scenery on the way home, but soon fell fast asleep. Marion and Julie, both Vail workmates, picked me up for supper at the Lone Star. Its a mix of Texas and New Zealand food and decor. It works! The portions are healthy and moderately priced. We had a great night giggling and discussing goings on. Also, it wouldn't be an outing with Julie if she weren't telling me to behave. Its getting hard to think of funny things to be admonished for, but still very entertaining!
I'm off to Oz tomorrow and got some bad news over the last couple of days. My friend can't pick me up and won't be in town afterall for me to stay with. Another friend is letting me stay with her for a few days to get my bearings. The added cost means no Ayers Rock, but maybe some cheap little surf towns outside of Sydney. Whatever I end up doing will be fun though, I just don't know what that is yet!
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