A Walk in Kaikōura by Jess

 

 

Our arrival into Kaikōura was greeted with an abundance of fur seals along the waterway. The seals were a quintessential example of the beauty of Kaikōura and the rich natural life the town was bursting with at the seams. The students on our trip would watch in amazement as the fur seals basked on the rugged rocks along the shoreline. During our free day, most of the groups decided to explore the wildlife a bit more. After a last-minute cancellation of my group’s sea kayaking excursion due to weather conditions, we decided to do the renowned Peninsula Walkway Hike. I didn’t know it at the time, but I would come to realize that this decision was one of the best I’ve made on the trip yet.

 The beginning: The hike began with a walk along the rocky shore. As we trudged along, we watched the waves crash along the beach and wash away through the rocks in an undulating motion. After just a few minutes into the hike, we found a Portuguese Man O’ War jellyfish below our feet! We reveled in its beauty and the excitement of this discovery and then continued on our trek. The hike was set to be an almost 12 kilometer loop, so we had much more distance to cover.

 2 kilometers in: Pink, white, and yellow flowers dotted our pathway inland. Then, just as we turned the corner, we were stunned with what we saw. A fur seal sitting atop a rock like a queen on her throne. She watched us attentively as we tiptoed closer. I could see the reflection of the sea in her eyes. We made sure to respect her space and not venture any closer. We forged ahead.

 3 kilometers in: Next we found a secluded beach replete with all sorts of amazing shells, including that of the famous New Zealand pāua shell. I held one up to the sky and watched the shimmering colors. It seemed as though I could see a completely new color each time I looked.

 5 kilometers in: Here we found a beach reminiscent of another world. The flat sand and smoothened rocks stretched on almost indefinitely. It was as though we were the only humans in existence, and the experience was like a breath of fresh air. We jumped between stones like a game of hopscotch.

 Halfway point: By the time we were half way through with the hike, we quickly realized that this trek was taking much longer than anticipated. We stopped for pictures and to stare out at the scenery many times, which could account for this time discrepancy. We truly got lost in time and were just living in the moment, trying to commit each view to memory before we passed.

 8 kilometers in: Just when we thought we couldn’t possibly find more seals on our journey, we turned a corner and found a beach filled with the fur seals. Everywhere we looked, we found another seal camouflaged in with its surroundings. Some were playing, some were sleeping, and some were out exploring. They really weren’t all that different from us.

 10 kilometers in: We turned around a long bend, thinking we were following the designated path. However, we realized that what we found was a fur seal haven off the beaten path instead. After getting a close up glimpse into their world, we turned back around and found the designated way forward. This took us up a mountain and over a field, where we encountered a massive body of water. We peered out in amazement. The trail twisted and turned as we chugged along.

 The end: Eventually, we could see the town in the distance. It appeared as faint dots in the distance. I felt a mixture of relief and strife; I was glad to see civilization, but unwilling to accept the end of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 The hike felt as though we traveled through six different worlds in the span of six hours. The terrain’s changes were expansive, but the energy of the land shifted as well. As we walked on through, it was as though we took portals to new worlds. New Zealand is certainly a special place. I wouldn’t have changed my nomadic day for the world (or any of the worlds).