Kaikoura

Our next destination was Kaikoura.  From Waipara we headed north, stopping at the next town, Cheviot, for gas and have a snack at the Cheviot tearooms.

Leo hadvthe down under favorite, lamington cake and I had a very sweet coffee walnut slice (about 1/2 icing so very sweet).

Then it was on up Highway 1 past cattle and sheep farms, up into the hills and then following the windy coast and through tunnels for 2 hours.  We checked in at the Kaikoura Top Ten Holiday Park.

Kaikwoura was a bustling tourist town and the campground was full of locals and internationals for the weekend.

It's just a short walk from the campground to the centre of town

Invasive but pretty lupines

And the beach is just across the main street.

We walked down to the Albatross Experience office to reserve an albatross boat tour.  We stopped for a tea in their bright cafe.

Meanwhile the weather was getting stormier.

A Japanese couple were trying to change a flat tire in the weather so Leo helped with the tire while another fellow helped them contact their rental company with the aid of  Google Translate.

The Miami Beach of New Zealand

Back at the campground people's tents were flying around. Leo helped a couple take theirs down.  They moved it in close to a hedge. Later in the evening we walked down to the beach.

The beach was very loose cobble and hard to walk on.

Let's call this silver gull (red-billed gull) the Bird of the Day!