An unexpected land day.

We’re due on our Whale Watching trip at 12.30 today, but sadly the weather has changed. It’s dull and drizzly, and though it seems quite calm in the harbour, it seems things are different out to sea. All Whale Watch Kaikoura morning departures have been cancelled - and then the afternoon departures follow suit. We try to change to the 7.15 tomorrow, but it’s fully booked, so we secure places on the 10.30. We’d planned some wine tasting at Blenheim, but decide this is something we can live without! 

So, the bonus us, we have a much needed rest day. It’s certainly nice enough by now to set out on one of the many walks possible, but G sensibly bans all walking other than a stroll around the town, full of other frustrated whale watchers who are killing time. Even here, along the coast there’s plenty of photo opportunities, with wonderful rock formations and plenty of sea birds, so I get my photo-fix for the day with minimum effort! And we are treated to the sight of a large pod of dusky dolphins playing off shore as we watch. 

Our lazy day ends not with the restaurant meal we planned as our chosen venue, The Pier, is full - but with a pasta dinner prepared in our property’s shared kitchen and an evening spent out in the garden with fellow guests who’ve done the same. 

Fingers crossed that we get our sailing tomorrow! 

Today’s main’s a group of spur winged plover (also called masked lapwing I think?), with one extra of a rather acrobatic oyster catcher and a heron of some sort(?), another of Kaikoura views.