The Adventures of Steve and Allie: Kaikoura Day 1 (New Zealand Day 3)

Today has been a wild mix of wind and showers, with the wind being the strongest. After our typical camping breakfast of yogurt/muesli/milk and fresh brewed espresso and a banana and dark chocolate (we are a bit decadent at brekkie), we walked into town in the rain. We didn't get terribly far before we traipsed into The Woolshed because it had a sign advertising merino/possum blend fabric attire and we had to know about that odd mix. Come to find out, possums, as in Australia, are considered terrible nuisance pests (very much endangering the native species of critters) and are gleefully eradicated. Not wanting anything to go to waste, the fur is combed and cut for blending with fine merino wool for an very soft, light-weight and warm fabric. Since Steve was in need of a warm jumper (sweater), he purchased one of these possum wool sweaters and is very pleased with it.

We also stopped into a Paua factory/jewelry store and found some more items to ooh and aah over. Okay, Steve didn't do much of that. Still, it was fun and then we took a brief detour to the beach to look at the vista. All socked it, but dramatic in a subtle way. Jaunting down to the town center, we perused the shops and ended up at the I-Stop, the New Zealand version of our beloved Australian information centers. Pretty good and busy! We found out about the walks on Point Kean, which is the furthest eastern point in town and an ancient Maori Pa (or fort) site.

We came back to the camper van, I guess we'll call it RIG (as in Residence In Gear), and went in search of a Mitre-10, which is equivalent to a Ace Hardware store in the States, to find a few things to make our life easier in RIG. Steve missed the entrance to the drive so we went a little bit further to a grocery store for sugar for the espresso and some plastic bins to put the sugar and coffee in. Then back to the Mitre-10 for a small pail to put our bathroom toiletries in and a plastic holder for maps, snacks and water bottles to fit behind our seats in RIG.

On to Point Kean and the cliff walk. Okay, it isn't called the cliff walk but it sure was one. Thankfully, the wind was blowing a gale by then and it literally kept us from tumbling over as it was blowing in from the sea. We were definitely glad for the raincoats which acted as windbreakers. We hiked for a couple of hours and a half then decided we'd like to stop getting showed and blown to kingdom come and headed back to the car. Then back to the campsite for a warming glass of red wine. After a well deserved rest, we went into town and had a Drunken Cow pizza at the Grouper Garage, a car garage turned into a funky eatery complete with a massive fireplace. Finally back to RIG and to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be spectacular!