About 2.5 hours north of Christchurch is the coastal town of Kaikoura. In November of 2016, this area was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. In early December 2017, the highway to Kaikoura was open just in time for our road trip. This town has a long history in whaling and is a must see for whale watchers. On our trip, we took the day to casually explore the coastline.

We had an opportunity to get up close and personal with some seals who weren’t the least bit bothered to have humans among their company.

Redd and Chloe had a grand time exploring the beaches, climbing the rocks and testing out the water.

A seafood lunch is a must when visiting the coast so we popped into The Pier Hotel for some crayfish and calamari that we enjoyed at one of their outdoor picnic tables that came with a rather nice view. I also discovered why Kiwis love cider so much…very refreshing on a hot sunny day.

This was a quick one day trip but only being 2.5 hours away from Christchurch I imagine we will be back.