It was a bit tricky dragging the kids out of bed at 5:30am this morning, but the promise of a fry up breakfast on the ferry helped! We made it to the port in good time and hopped on board ready to leave North Island behind.
A gorgeously sunny morning meant we had incredible views as we left the bay, and again on entering Picton, South Island.
Once we drove off the ferry we headed straight onto the highway to start our journey south. We had planned a few stops along the way to Kaikoura, taking in the views as we went.
First stop: Monkey Bay, providing our first viewing of the famous black sand here in New Zealand. We also enjoyed finding various beach treasures – both the beautiful and the weird!
Second stop: Ward beach – glorious in the sunshine and we had the place to ourselves.
Third stop: petrol and lunch supplies! We enjoyed a pineapple cutting machine in the supermarket, which peeled and cored pineapple and chopped it into easy-to-eat sticks! Also some things, like tomatoes and cucumbers, are quite expensive compared to the UK.
Fourth stop: unplanned seal viewing! As we drove down the coast we could see little black dots on the rocks so we pulled over to investigate… we carefully tiptoed nearer and there they were!
Fifth stop: Paparoa Point – a culturally significant stop between Picton and Kaikoura which tells the story of Paikea – a whale rider popular in native Maori folklore.
Depicted on the viewing platform’s internal face is Ruaumoko (the Māori god of earthquakes). It is there to honor the significant change of the coastline and the sea bed due to the 2016 earthquake.
The sculpture you see as you approach the viewing platform is of Tüteurutira (a historic Māori Chief). Each step leading up to the viewing platform displays a name from his “whakapapa” (family and ancestors).
Sixth stop: Ohau Point… or seal heaven! This is a walkway along the coastline where you can park up and just enjoy these incredible creatures up close. We saw so many pups too, very special.
And that was it for our first little road trip on South Island. We’ve reached Kaikoura and checked in to our backpackers here – now for an early night to catch up on some sleep!
Coyle Family Adventures 
I can’t get over the clarity of the air, the unspoilt beaches, coast line, the cleanliness everywhere and the vastness of the ’space’ that NZ offers. No wonder you were attracted to it! I know you’re choosing these beautiful places, but it just seems still so unspoilt. Perhaps travelling in the winter helps as there are fewer tourists?
On, on with your adventures! xx
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I do think the winter season means far fewer tourists so we are lucky – especially with glorious clear sunny days. But so much of New Zealand feels just like this, a beautiful sense of space xx
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