A seal colony

We watched the sun strike the snowy peaks of the Kaikoura Mountain range the next morning, giving them a pink glow.  It was a very nice way to start the day.  The plan for Friday had been to visit the seal colony, but as we had arrived much later than intended, we decided to go Saturday morning instead as the distance to Blenheim where we are travelling today,  is not far.

 

We parked near a local heritage site where an original settler’s home, Fyffe House, sits gazing out over the bay toward the mountains.  We walked to the seal colony around the bay taking our time to look at what had at one time been the original harbour and whaling base.  It is a very sheltered part of the peninsular. 

Sheltering in the harbour

Perhaps relics from a recent bygone age

 

A kilometre or so later we arrived at the end of the road where the seal colony lies.  We found out later that after the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, the seals had moved to another spot further on, to new resting places obviously more to their liking.  It was an interesting walk over very flat concrete - like rock.  At that point, we saw a couple of seals but that was all. 

 

Further on and after a bit more rock hopping, we came to another bay where there was a bird nesting site (mostly gulls) and as we walked around further, there were many more seals who growled menacingly as we stopped to photograph them.  We moved past them quickly and quietly (as several signs advised us to do), giving them a wide berth. They are known to become quite aggressive and can inflict serious injury. There seemed to be a few young seals also and further away what looked like seal pups. 

We almost stepped on him/her. A young seal.

 

On our return we climbed up to a lookout which gave a good view of where we had walked and also back toward Kaikoura.

Looking down on the upraised seabed

Looking from near the lookout toward Kaikoura

 

It was warm and sunny with only the lightest breeze making it very pleasant weather for a walk.

 

We arrived in Blenheim late afternoon to stay in a delightful Airbnb. I would rate it a five-star place at a four-star price.  Helen, the hostess, was lovely but she has just sold the place as they are moving to Tauranga due to her husband’s deteriorating dementia, making it no longer possible to run the business.

 

That night we went to a Brazilian restaurant which had been recommended to us called Gramados, where we had some very interesting food.  I thought Bev’s dish was the better choice – Freijoada – a smokey black bean stew.  I chose Lamb Assado – a NZ lamb dish with Brazilian flavours. We also got to sample 4 different chillies with varying degrees of heat. (While we were there a hen party got underway and there was much noise and merriment, and quite a bit of drinking with the bride-to-be trying scull a bottle of bubbles in one attempt.  I think she would have not fared well by the end of the night).