The Land Where the Mountains Meet the Sea by Skylar

After visiting one of our last few farms, Acheron Station, we were off to Kaikōura, the land where the mountains meet the sea. We spent a total of three days in Kaikōura and stayed in the Dusky Lodge, the only place in the small town that could accommodate all forty of us. I was most excited to see some of Kaikōura’s native wildlife, and while driving into the area, we could spot some wild seals along the rocky edges of the ocean. The next day, we visited the last and largest farm we’ve seen so far, Bluff Station, which was an hour away from Kaikōura. On our way back, we made sure to make an actual stop off the bus to observe a fur seal colony. There were dozens of seals and pups playing, sleeping, sunbathing, etc. With only ever seeing seals in an aquarium, I thought seeing them in the wild was an amazing experience. Other people spent their time in Kaikōura out on the ocean, where they saw other native creatures, including the albatross, the largest flying seabird, and dolphins. 

After visiting Bluff Station, we had the rest of the day to explore Kaikōura. Shopping around town was, of course, on the itinerary, and one of my favorite stores was Pacific Jewels. I thought Pacific Jewels had an amazing jewelry selection, most notably made from New Zealand greenstone and pāua shells. In my opinion, the whalebone carvings were some of the coolest to see, each uniquely designed, as they are important in Maori culture. Pacific Jewels was the only shop I have seen so far that has openly displayed some. 

Our final day in Kaikōura was designated as free time, and I decided to go zip-lining, starting off 600 meters high up a mountain. While trekking up to the first of five zip line courses by van, our guide (shoutout to Andi) shared her knowledge of some of the native species of plants and animal species that inhabited New Zealand, specifically the area of Kaikōura. I learned that some plants are small but mighty (and scary,) as we came across ongaonga or tree nettle. The tree is coated with fine stinging needles and so poisonous that it has caused two known fatalities from touching it. On our way up, we were also lucky to spot a New Zealand fantail, a small bird known for its puffed-out tail feathers and fast, acrobatic-like movements when flying. The mountainous region of Kaikōura was beautiful, and I became more appreciative of the native wildlife and the importance of conservation in New Zealand.

Fur seal colony

Albatross

Ziplining!

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