61A) Kaikoura to Nelson

Before we left Kaikoura, we cruised about town a bit. It's an old whaling town, due in part to the proximity of the Haikurangi Trough so close to shore. (Also why the Albatross are so close in and why the whale watching is so popular here.) We opted not to go out to see the the Sperm whales. One couple we met said they went out and had a good look -- at them sleeping!






A plaque explaining the whaling history here (you can click on the picture to make is bigger) with a bit of non-PC commentary at the end.













A public garden in town with historical reminders of the towns whaling origins. These are whale jawbones used "creatively."























As we headed north in rainy weather we camped at a popular surf spot. The great joy of a camper van is the "drive-and-drop" - we just pulled into community dispersed camping (one toilet, no water and signs asking you to keep off private land) along the beach and parked. There were many surf vehicles and lots of campers (all closed up due to the rain). We did find the NZ version of a 'hot tub' but it was too wet to try and get a fire going!


Next day the weather improved - just another lunch spot along the coast!









A rather entertaining approach to marketing - think of the implications of this.....

























Thousands of lilies along the roadways.




An eye catching vehicle


















The sky is reflected in the river that flows under the Pelorus Bridge. The Pelorus Reserve had a wonderful campground, with great birds. The Wekas were adorably curious. By you can't jump off the bridge!
















Hazards of NZ driving - There are hundreds of one lane bridges all over the country - even on the 'major' roads. Some like this, one have both lanes of traffic AND the rail line. The long ones even have passing bays in the middle so you don't have to back the whole length of it if you end up having to "chicken" out to oncoming traffic! Signs indicate which direction has the priority.








The Arctic tern is a world champion for migration - they travel 22,000 miles from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back. They see more daylite than other species. They are in both hemispheres for the longest days, and in a 20 year life span are thought to log up to 650,000 miles!