Our discovery of the South Island of New Zealand started with driving along the shores of its picturesque east coast. The view of the Pacific Ocean offered many stunning views. We were heading to Kaikoura.
Day 70, Thursday, November 14: Kaikoura
Before we left Picton, just after 9 in the morning, we went to their award-winning bakery, the Picton Village Bakkerij, and bought a loaf of San Francisco sourdough. I saw in my mind the many great sandwiches that we were going to make in the days to come.
Our first stop on our drive was near Blenheim, half an hour south of Picton, at the Omaka Air Field. Here we visited the Aviation Heritage Centre, a world-class destination that showcases a rare collection of historic aircrafts.
We chose to see the WW2 exhibition, Dangerous Skies, which opened in 2016. It took us through many stories of the Eastern front, among them the story of Lydia Litvyak, the most famous female fighter of the Soviets. We saw an original Messerschmitt and several British fighters, as well as an American-built bomber that crashed in a Pacific island jungle.
After our lunch (yes, the first sourdough sandwich in many days!), we were on the road again around 12:30, driving through the Marlborough wine region.
Then the views of the Pacific appeared.
We stopped at Ohau Point to admire the seal colony, the birds on the rocks, the native rock daisies, and just to take in the views.
We arrived at the Bed & Breakfast on the outskirts of Kaikoura around 3:30. It turned out to be a perfect location for spectacular views of the ocean and the snow-clad mountains across the bay.
After talking with the owner of the B&B and settling in, we went for a hike on the clifftop section of Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway. It was amazing.
We enjoyed our hike on the cliff and were amazed by the natural beauty, the incredible views, the seals, the huge number of seabirds, the flowers.
Even the occasional strong winds couldn’t deter us from our appreciation of the area.
Early to bed in the chilly bedroom. A long drive was awaiting us the next day.
