Kaikoura to Robin Hood Bay
It's an incredibly blustery night in Kaikoura. The whitecaps we saw in the fading evening light were obviously a foreshadowing of the storm to come. There's a window with a broken latch in the bathroom adjacent to our room, and the wind that howls about our hostel sucks it open no matter how I try to jam it closed. The venetian blind on that window then proceeds to smack into the frame with thundering crashes at the rate of around 2-3 a minute. Around 2am I get up and raise the blinds. This lets all the heated air in the house whistle out, but at least it's now possible to sleep.
In the morning we find out that the storm winds reached 140 km/hour. The streets are full of debris, including a large sheet of styrofoam trapped under our van. We eat breakfast, say goodbye to Eva and Stephanie, and head out on the road. It's a beautifully clear day, and we are eager to see new sights.
We take a few minutes to see Kaikoura in the daylight. We stop back at the headland we visited last night to see it in the sun, but the parking lot is soon overrun by a 'Kiwi Experience' bus and passengers, so we head back through town, stopping at a small memorial park on the waterfront. The park has a monument to fallen soldiers in WWI, and a walkway lined with arches of weathered whale rib.
Kaikoura was a local center for whaling in the 19th century, and just across the street are a few 'try pots', giant cauldrons used for the rendering of whale blubber. Now they are simply rusting monuments amidst a few quiet trees.
On the way out of town, we visit a locally-popular pie shop, then drive north back towards Picton.
At Blenheim, we stop for groceries and coffee, then strike out towards the coast on a winding 2-lane road. Through little sea-side developments, then up into the coastal mountains we drive in search of a place to spend the night. As the light begins to really fade, we drive into Robin Hood Bay and decide to stay at the very basic DOC campground. At least there's a long drop! Another couple's also parked for the night, but we never actually meet.
The campground is patrolled by a ravenous peahen. The evidence of its daily route is the fact that the parking area is a minefield of peahen-poo. She loiters about the van most of the evening while we cook dinner, peering inquisitively at our activities and waiting for the inevitable or inadvertent handout.
It's nice to be camping for free, but the local sandflies still demand a payoff. I cook dinner while dancing around to keep the worst of them off, then we eat in the van with the windows closed.
It's a beautiful, quiet, star-filled night.
Kaikoura to Picton photoset
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