Today we enjoyed a morning of kayaking in the ocean near a seal colony a few miles from Kaikoura. None of us has spent a lot of time in kayaks, so it was pretty funny to see us trying to paddle in sync, keep moving in a straight line, and avoid hitting the numerous rocks that poke up above the water.

Unfortunately, Scott was paired up with a gentleman from Auckland who claimed to be an experienced kayaker. It soon became apparent that he overestimated his skills on the water, and Scott pretty much carried the team:)

We did get some pretty good photos of the seals, but it is mating season and they stayed on the rocks most of the time. When the females aren't around, the males will generally get in the water and play amongst the kayaks.

After we finished kayaking we went back into town and found a pub serving 'Sheepshagger Lager'. It's terrible beer, but the name was worth at least trying a glass. We promised a friend of ours a photo of the tap handle, but forgot and left town without it. (Fear not Ken, we will find it again even if we have to double back to Kaikoura to get it.)

We finished our day by having a Thai dinner at the lodge we were staying at that night (we've been treating ourselves to a few nights in a real bed while Scott is here) and met the cook's husband who was quite a guy. Phil is an entrepreneur in the grandest of styles. He has run casinos, owned a ton of different businesses and is moving to Richmond, Virginia next week where he has a marketing company that is going like gang-busters with all of the local tourism boards. We sat and drank with him for several hours after dinner. When he found out I was a SCUBA instructor, he told me he could get me a job the next day at the local dive center. Tempting, but I do enough teaching in cold water at home. The water temperature in Kaikoura is a balmy 61 degrees this time of year. Think I'll wait until Thailand where it's likely to be 82-84 degrees.

Tomorrow we're off to Christchurch and hopefully a day of sailing for Scott's last day here.

Until then, happy trails,

Eric & Val