Jan 20th

Left at 6.30am and spent the next 60 miles cycling alongside the Pacific Ocean and to our right huge mountain ranges - Inland Kaikoura Range [up to 2885m] and the Seaward Kaikoura Range [up to2551m]. To the north and east of NZ are the islands of Tahiti, Tonga. Samoa and Fiji where most of the NZ Pacific Islanders originated but to the east there is virtually nothing for 6,000 miles until South America. A glorious sunny day , with little wind and after the first 20 miles few hills. So close to the sea we could smell the seaweed. After 25 miles or so we cycled past literally hundreds of NZ fur seals - mostly basking in the sun on the rocks. We could hear for mile after mile their baby-like cries and in one large pool we saw a dozen or more baby seals larking about whilst adult seals looked lazily on. Stood next to a tree full of Little Shags! who seemed oblivious or uncaring about our close presence; later saw Pied Shags, Royal Spoonbills and white-faced herons. Out at sea there were crayfish boats.
Booked into Dusky Lodge in Kaikoura; from our room we can see snow-covered mountains and the glinting-blue Pacific Ocean - life can be hard sometimes!