Day 5

We left very early to drive to Kaikoura. We had a beautiful coastal drive and right at sunrise, we came to an amazing black sand beach that we had all to ourselves. After our stop there, we made our way to Kaikoura. We spent a couple of hours on the Cliffs of Kaikoura Peninsula hike. The picture is of Josh and I there – it's amazing because the snow-capped mountains come right out of the ocean. We also got to see a seal colony, but they were not so happy to see us - Josh got a little too close and they let him know very loudly they didn't want him there! After the hike, we spent the afternoon whale watching. As you can see by the picture, we did get to see a sperm whale. The boat took us about 10 miles off the coast where the water was already 3,400 feet deep. I was looking and feeling pretty green after the ride, but it was well worth it.