As we run a Whale and Dolphin tour in Auckland, I thought it would be a good idea to see how things are done in Kaikoura. I left Methven early and made my way to Kiakoura, which was a far longer drive than I had expected. The weather wasn’t great and I spent most of the time driving through the cloud. As I pulled into Kiakoura the cloud cleared and I could finally see what a beautiful place it was. Unfortunately the wind was blowing around 25 / 30 knots, which meant the sea was too rough for the trip to run so I jumped back into the car and headed straight to Picton.
When I booked the whale watching trip, I wasn’t really that fussed about going but as I left Kiakoura I was really disappointed. Kiakoura is a beautiful little seaside town and it would be an awesome place to visit in the summer. The sea is a lovely shade of blue and the beach is surrounded by mountains, which makes the place very picturesque. I was really looking forward to getting out on the water and chilling in the sun for a few hours. Unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be.
A few K’s down the road from Kiakoura the car started playing up. As I was driving it started to splutter like something was blocking the fuel line. I couldn’t believe it, and the drive to Blenheim, which was the next major town that had a garage was a nervous 100 odd K drive. When I rolled into Blenhiem, I noticed a lot of the shops were shut, I then realised it was Saturday afternoon! I asked a local if he knew of any garages that would be open and he replied “I think you’re barking up the wrong tree around here mate aye. Places shut at 12 on a Saturday mate.” I had already booked my ferry and it wasn’t possible to change the time so I had no choice but to hope the old girl would make the final 50K to Picton and limp onto the ferry in the morning.
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