Kaikoura, NZ

I loved being in Kaikoura! I had plans to take a 4-5 hour tramp along the peninsula, but I was basically sick the whole time. I think traveling takes it's toll and if I get the least bit run down I get the cold/flu bug. I had an amazing view from my hotel though!! I did get to go whale watching and cruized around the small town. Kaikoura had a great vibe to it, sort of a one road type of town and feel. I ended up going to see the doctor (twice) bc I wanted antibiotics to rid my system of the bug and also recharge my immune system. Since my mom was coming to Cristchurch in a few days, I didn't want to be sick for our trip and also wanted to be well for Thailand. So I was pretty whiney and feeling sorry for myself, but I did nap and take hot baths etc to get well. Kaikoura also has one of the best coastal drives in the country. It feels like you are driving right on the beach and then the landscape zooms up on the other side of the road into huge, green, lush hills. I assume they are considered to be mountains, but since I am from the Rocky Mountains and those are so vast, these aren't that large and so I will call them hills at this point. They are bigger than hills and smaller than mountains, how's that? Lots of dense ferns, palms and green shrubbery.

The ferns have a type of spiral looking arm that grows when a new arm is growing. The green ones are gorgeous and the one I took a picture of is a dead version, since it is winter, I can't find a green one to photo. There is another type of fern here, the Silver Fern. It is green on the top side and silver underneath. It reflects the moonlight and the Maori's used this to navigate through the rain forests. The Silver Fern is also the national symbol for New Zealand, it looks like a fern leaf.

Other facts about New Zealand:

There are no native snakes here, you cannot own, breed, import, have a pet of any type of snake whatsoever.

Trout--the government wants to keep trout as a game fish so you cannot order trout at a restaurant. The only way to get trout is to fish for it and catch it yourself.