Seals, not quite the navy type

So, here i am in kaikoura! Another amazingly beautiful itty bitty teeny tiny town. Love it. The city of Kaikoura is located on the tip of a tiny pennisula on the eastern edge of the south island. The area is famous for its whales and seal colonies. The water here is much colder than up north and the waves are big...Oregon coast style! My intention was to swim with dolphins, but due to their uber popular nature, i swam with seals instead. Pretty rad.

The group of us donned full wet suits (we were all lookin pretty sweet in full garb on the hottest day the east coast has seen in years, walkin like penguins for lack of movement). We headed down to the seal colony area on the point where there are hundreds of seals just chillin like villains. We snorkelled out a ways! And once again totally botany buff me was enthralled with the enormous different types of kelp that grow along the reefs here! Seriously, prehistoric in size folks!

So the seals finally decided to stop sunning themselves (lazy bastards) and come play! Apparently alth0ugh they are territorial on land/rock because it is their mating ground, they are completely playful in water! i had seals turning circles right in front of me and swimming directly below me, their big round eyes following mine the whole time! Also i spotted a big squid which our guide dove down and brought up for us to hold...so gooey without being slimey, sea creatures are so amazing! while holding it one of its tentacles attached nicely to my snorkel...everybody just needs some air sometimes ;)

Anyhow, that little trip was the highlight of kaikoura for me. The backpackers i've stayed at has been grand, last night met a crew from Whales who were beyond fun and few other folks with whom i shared one of the best Kiwi sunsets ever from the top of a grassy hillside.
but today, i'm headed north (probably she says with intention ;) towards Picton and then to ferry across to Wellington. I'm going to WOOF near the town of Martinborough and hopefully apply a bit of my hippotherapy knowledge (Paul i can see yer face now ;) at a medium size family farm there. Alright, I'm so done spending my money on internet here in Kaikoura. I've had a WHALE of a time though. Bon voyage!