Kaikoura, an area on the east coast between Marlborough and Christchurch, is known for being where the mountains meet the sea and for its abundant marine wildlife. Sadly, it is also known for the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred two minutes after midnight on 14 November 2016. Ruptures occurred on multiple faults and the earthquake has been described as the “most complex earthquake ever studied.”
The quake was the second largest New Zealand earthquake since European settlement of the country, resulting in two deaths, a seven meter tsunami, the complete destruction of any land transport routes in and out of the area, and over $1.8 billion in insurance claims. Shockingly, Kaikoura moved to the northeast by nearly one meter, and rose seventy centimeters. The east coast of the North Island moved west by up to five centimeters, and the Wellington region there moved up to six centimeters to the north. Here on theSouth Island, Christchurch moved two centimeters to the south.
Four years later, roadworks are still very prevalent and the landscape in the surrounding area has changed greatly, but much of the area appears recovered to our uneducated eyes. (If it sounds familiar, that is because we stopped here for a walk on our way south from Picton to Christchurch back in December.)
Wednesday – Move Day
Beautiful morning walk in the rising mist, more than compensating for a far too early awakening. Then we packed, cleaned, and reluctantly left the quiet haven of Kakanui. It was a long drive day so no fun stops – just utilitarian ones as we passed through towns and the outskirts of Christchurch and made our way north.
We have really made the turn now – seven hours almost due north places us just a couple of hours south of the ferry to the North Island. If we’d known we were going to extend our time in NZ, we’d definitely be staying down here in the SI longer. That’s the trade-off for the comfort and structure of planning ahead – we don’t have that flexibility now.
It was a good day for driving and the mostly inland scenery was varied. On the long straight stretches I frequently fell asleep as we listened to Bernie’s book. He is nowhere near as energizing as Warren whom I listened to over the last week and who really got me fired up in support of her approach and execution.
Once we arrived at the coast, it became beautiful and soon we were at our new Airbnb just north of Kaikoura. It is a remote spot on a black sand and rocky beach that’s renowned for its surf breaks (unfortunately just beyond Hale’s budding skill level.) It’s a tiny studio at the back of a massive house. With no airflow, it was roasting inside so we set up the fan, went for a beach walk, then hung out on the deck with the hilarious family dogs while the inside cooled down enough to use.
When night fell, we were treated to a spectacle of stars stretching across the sky, and the bonus of seeing the strange string of satellites just released by Elon Musk’s company.
Thursday –Kaikoura
After being up a lot in the night, I slept in and we had a leisurely breakfast on the deck admiring the Kaikoura Range mountains and reading about the earthquake and its aftermath here just four years ago. The way the community pulled together is extremely admirable.
Our first stop of the day was Mt Fyffe for a hike up to the lookout point – it was hot and hazy, but gave us a good view of the peninsula, the surrounding plains and the hills backed by the impressive mountain range.
After a drive through the overly touristique town, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the Kaikoura Peninsula walk. We did this before when we passed through going south, but it was a different experience this time as we spent a lot of time at sea level watching seals. There are so many of them scattered on the rocky plateau that surround the peninsula, and per usual, as soon as we were 100 meters from the car park, the humans thinned out and we had the chance to have some one on one time with the seals. The pups were (of course) older now and we delighted in watching three of them play while their parents slept.
First they hung out near the parents, then one encouraged the others to follow him. They jumped across rocks, swam through channels and eventually reached their destination – the kiddie pool, where they splashed, chased and (I kid you not) jumped out and then slid down into the pool over and over. Soon other pups from another family group joined them in the frivolity.
We eventually tore ourselves away and carried on walking until we got stuck in a hard place between a cliff and an annoyed seal. Once out of that dilemma, we hiked up the cliff and returned on the upper route, just as the sun came out to grace us with blue water views.
Last morning sunrise
Up at 4, I was treated to a wonderful sky completely filled with stars and the Milky Way and a special prize of seeing not one but two shooting stars on opposite sides of the horizon about 5 minutes apart. A quiet morning on the deck catching up on this journal and then a sunrise walk filled with vibrant pink and orange.
Wrap
This was the right amount of time to spend in Kaikoura. The area is full of natural beauty and wildlife, but many of the trails are closed due to the earthquakes, the surf is not beginner level and the town lacks any charm whatsoever. Add in a studio that didn’t cut the mustard for us and the short stay was just right to allow us to enjoy and then get back on the road.
Week 19B of our journey