“A Mish a Day” #175 Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway. Kaikoura. 28.8.2020. There aren’t many benefits to being injured, but one of the small benefits is I am usually available for anything not involving physical requirements my broken body isn’t capable of with my injured hip…
The Whanau had never been on a caravan mission before, and the cheap post-lockdown prices were a great opportunity to see what it’s like to have a line of traffic behind you when driving up hills. To make things even more interesting my sister’s whanau had decided to join us with their camper as well. The weather had pushed us to the north east corner of the South Island, and we wanted to get all the way to the Marlborough Sounds , and this meant a stop at the seaside paradise of Kaikoura on our journey north. The dark clouds and heavy rain while driving the many turns of the Hundalee Road didn’t heighten our enthusiasm, however our first view of the Pacific Ocean at Oaro perked us up a little bit. We were staying at Peketa, which is an epic little camping ground to the south of Kaikoura. The welcoming staff at the Peteka Camping Ground told us it had been raining on and off all day, and it looked like more showers were on the way. Luckily for us, not only did it not rain but it actually cleared up as I set up my tent. A quick walk down to the beach also revealed the awesome surprise of a snow covered Seaward Kaikoura Range. An early-ish start is not possible with this lot, however I was rewarded with a peaceful sunrise on not only the South Bay of Kaikoura, but also the massive peaks behind Kaikoura. We decided the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway looked good for children and myself, and it was also an opportunity to see the incredible coastline up-lift, caused by the 2015 earthquake. Having people who know the area well was very helpful, and can explain what was new, and it was very eye-opening. A story of someone kayaking over the bay to collect a crayfish pot, and now the area is rocks a few feet out of the water really brought home the power of the earthquake. The visually stunning walkway was easy for some, and although I might have over done it (many naughty words on the downhill sections!), it was definitely worth it even if I was sore that night. More importantly the weather was perfect for a stroll, and both the Whanau, and the seals were loving it.
An early-ish start the next day had us heading into the town of Kaikoura, were I offered to keep the kids occupied at the skatepark to give the others a break. My sister and I then spent the next five hours in Kaikoura A and E with a suspected broken wrist…
