Day 337: Whale Watching Gets Post-Poned — A Chill Day in Kaikoura

by Margaret · Published December 8, 2019 · Updated December 10, 2019

Breakfast here is awesome. Small cozy buffet in the restaurant, where Mike greeted us all by name. Note to self: learn to make homemade granola when back home.

Today’s big mission — in fact, the whole reason for making this particular stop at all — was to go whale watching.

And it didn’t happen.

We arrived at the whale watching place at 10:30 for our excursion — and learned the sea was so choppy that the captain was 1) warning anyone with a weak stomach to skip it and, eventually, 2) banning all kids under 8.

We got re-booked on a boat early tomorrow morning.

I was frankly very relieved. Before they banned kids they were just talking about how huge the swell was, how rough the waters would be six miles out into the freaking Pacififc and how you should think long and hard about if you really wanted to subject yourself to this. I was glad for the out.

In the mood for some wildlife, we drove out to see if we could spot some seals along the coast. We found a place to park and spent about two hours walking, exploring, seal spotting and generally just meandering in the gray morning.

Willa in typical fashion began collecting clay into what would become a softball-sized ball of gray sludge.

James had his choice of driftwood sticks. There were snoozing seals, giant stalks of kelp and nesting seagulls by the thousands.

James was sad Willa wouldn’t let him “at least touch” the clay ball.

It was a good, peaceful way to pass the morning.

For lunch we ate light at the Cray Pot, a local institution. I went to order at the counter: “We’ll have two vegetable soups, one vegetarian salad and one….beef nachos.” Willa got the nachos. The rest of us are trying to do Declan proud.

We bopped around town for a bit — a one-strip locale put on the map by whale watching.

Back at the hotel we decided to have a chill afternoon. Willa, James and I played a new game I bought at that wacky toy mseum in Wanaka. It’s called “Seven” and it’s basically a convoluted Go Fish. We spent 2+ hours on it while Beeps did the crossword puzzle in a comfy armchair and Teddy stayed back in the room catching up on a phone call with buddy James Rooke.

Soon we swapped – Teddy took the kids to swim (it’s warm here!) and I relaxed and caught up.

Of note: Around 5 pm, I was surprised to see a helicopter land in our backyard. A middle-aged dude in a white golf shirt and three younger chicks — not his daughers (he was Indian and they were white/Russion?) — got out. We learned later they’re all staying together in a bigger house on the property. Whaa? They were at dinner and we couldn’t stop speculating. Fascinating.

Or, as I said, “I wonder what the DEAL is?” Teddy replied: “I think we know what the deal is.”

Anyway, we had one of the better meals of the year: All pescatarian or vegetarian! What is happening to us!