December 3 - New Zealand: Kaikoura (South Island)
Fur Seal Scuba Diving
At 8:30, we drove to the scuba diving shop to get our gear for the scuba dive. There were 10 of us going out, but only 4 divers. The rest were going to snorkel. We had full wet suits: two-piece 7mm suits with hood, gloves, and booties. In other words, this was going to be a COLD dive. We rode out on a little boat that was put into the water via a tractor. Pretty funny, actually. The site we went to - Rhino Rock - was a short boat ride away and there were many fur seals frolicking on the rocks and in the water.
Dive: Seal Dive at Rhino Rock
Depth: 17 meters
Bottom Time: 41 minutes
Visibility: 10 meters
Water Temperature: 14°C (i.e. COLD!!)
The four of us submerged and were each a bit shocked by the cold of the water. Both my Open Water and Advanced certifications were done in cold water quarries, but I'd forgotten how cold the water can be. Wow. What a shocker! On the bottom, there wasn't an awful lot to see except for tons and tons of kelp and some nuclear-sized crayfish, which look remarkably like lobster but Kiwis insist that they be called crayfish.
But then the seals showed up.
They were FABULOUS! There were two that followed us for a while and were very playful and definitely curious. We were told ahead of time not to touch them, but we could flip around them if we wanted to. So whenever they would show up we would roll onto our backs or do flips to play with them. They would swim right up to our masks to make sure they had our undivided attention. Obviously, they didn't like being ignored. Their sleek bodies would slide by, in and out of our little group, and - after playing around with us - they would quickly disappear. Then they would show up out of nowhere a few minutes later. It made all the cold water worthwhile.
For a day that started out rainy and cold, the sun was out and it looked to be a beautiful day.
Haircut
After our dive, we went back to the dive shop and turned in our gear. Then we headed into town and Jon dropped me off at a haircut place. Jon bought a hair clipper a few weeks ago, but the largest setting is a "4" which would leave me with 2 cm of hair. Not quite long enough. So I finally got my haircut after 2 months of growth. It was so nice to have my hair cut by someone who speaks English! Since we left the US, my haircuts have been a lesson in sign language. First, there was the disaster in Egypt. Then, there was a haircut in Hong Kong, which turned out to be a great haircut even if the guy didn't speak English well. Finally, I had the last haircut in Beijing. So it was great to sit back and have the utmost confidence that my hairdresser knew what she was doing. She was devastated when she nipped my ear with the scissors and said she hasn't done that when she first started cutting hair. She was so distraught about it that she gave me $5 off the haircut. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but I certainly wasn't going to turn down the discount!
I'm quite happy with the haircut, and am surprised at how different my hair looks. I haven't colored in two months, so only the tips of my hair is blond. Jon thinks it looks cool and doesn't think I should color it again. So we'll see how long it will be before I get tired of it.
We had lunch at a little fish-n-chips joint and sat in the sun for a little while.
Kaikoura Winery
Jon wanted to visit the Kaikoura Winery nearby so we drove down the shore and up the hill to the building. The winery is only 2 years old, so most of their own vines are still growing. The wine was OK. We were a bit disappointed because they only had whites and we prefer red wines. But there was a bonus - the view! The building was on a hill overlooking the ocean and it was lovely.
The Beach
Then we went to a second hand bookstore aptly named "Canterbury Tales", where we sold some books we've lugged around a few countries, going back as far as China. Across from the bookstore was a pretty beach area and Jon and I lay on the smooth rocky black beach for a while. It was so relaxing, and the rocks were so warm that we both dozed off for a bit. Then it started to rain and the cold raindrops were a bit of a buzz-kill. We ran for the car and drove back to the campground.
But first Jon wanted to get some ice cream from a nearby ice cream store. Oreos and cream - very yummy!
Whale Watch Thwarted Again
We checked in for our 3:30 Whale Watch, but it was deemed "marginal" because of large swells and many sea-sick passengers. They were pretty much recommending that people not go if they might get sea-sick. Since Jon and already know that - in very bad conditions - we sometimes get sea sick, we didn't really feel like spending a few hours on a boat just to get sick so we decided to bag on it.
Back at the campsite, we spent the next few hours on the internet, reading, and updating the journal. We started dinner early to avoid the 6:30 kitchen rush and made veggie pasta.