We were packed and checking out by 9am. We changed some money at the Hotel as it would be too hard to go back to the airport to change more than the $200 that was allowed at the Hotel. The car windows were all ice and it took 10min to be able to clean them. There is fog everywhere and it is very very cold. We stopped at Woolworths and got some fruit. On our way we stopped at a farmers market in a small town and sampled some cheeses, breads, salami etc. We bought some fruit bread that was yummy. We were heading inland so the scenery was changing. We could see the snow topped mountains in the distance and we were getting closer all the time. Mum kept trying to get the perfect photo but alas she was always too slow. We stopped at a pull in area just before Hanmer Springs that overlooked the river but due to the fog we couldn't see anything. We arrived in Hanmer Springs and there were tourists walking around everywhere. After a cup of tea we went to the Thermal Springs but I couldn't talk mum into going for a swim. I must admit it was way too chilly to contemplate. We walked up the street and I bought a SIM card. This is a lovely town that has many National Parks very close. There a numerous bike tracks and walking tracks. After driving around some back streets we decided to set the GPS for Kaikoura. We stopped in a local park at Waiau, a quaint town for lunch. We then continued on the inland road which flirted with the snow topped mountains all the way to Kaikoura. We checked into Alpine Pacific Holiday Park where we had a twin cabin. After unpacking we headed back out to the supermarket and then for a drive along the coast line where there are sperm and humpback whales and seals. We drove to the furtherest point and climbed to the top of the bluff to the lookout for a good view. It was so very cold you could only see our glasses on our faces. Mum wanted to see what was on the beaches so we stopped and found they were small stones, not sand. Fuel was so expensive at $2.02 lt. We cooked dinner in the camp kitchen whilst watching the tennis. We were both in bed by 8pm and Mum ran the blow heater all night to stay warm.
