We changed our minds about staying in the Sounds for another few days, one can have too much if a good thing ;)! So today we drove out from Picnic Bay near Portage to the SH6 at Havelock. Driving towards Blenheim we detoured to Whites Bay thinking we might staythere, but it was a bit busy and there were no pitches with a sea view.... so we had a rethink!! The upshot being that I drove 299km today through the Marlborough wine country and then down the amazing Kaikoura coast road. The views from this road are spectacular, the alpine size Kaikoura range of mountains meet the sea here, but a road and a single track rail line have been constructed between them and the sea, giving great views of turquoise sea and high mountains, a few still with some snow still clinging on. This is a rocky coastline famous for the seals and we saw many as we were driving along. We could smell the sea, we were so close! Prior to this we came through a plain growing mainly vines and then up through a pass of hills which looked like a desert because of the dead scorched grass on them. There has hardly been any rain here for almost three months, and the vegetation is tinder dry!
We are now camped at the waters edge at Boat Harbour near Goose Bay, looking out to sea over the rocks and squabbling red beaked gulls. There is a seal asleep on a rock nearby.
Tomorrow we are going south of Christchurch and out onto the Banks Peninsula where we will probably see some of the effects if the earthquakes, we have been warned to expect a few mild ones still.....
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