Kayaking in Kaikoura

NZ fur seal relaxing on the rocks in Kaikoura

Monday, Feb. 21: If you're into marine wildlife viewing, Kaikoura is the place to be.  And to boot, it has dramatic surf and coastlines and mountain landscapes surrounding it.  Some of your choices for adventure in Kaikoura include: whale watching, dolphin watching/swimming; albatross watching; seal swimming and sea kayaking; and hiking.

This was a second location I could have gone swimming with dolphins, but alas, it was not meant to be. On Sunday afternoon when we enquired with Dolphin Encounters, they were fully booked for Monday except for 5:30am, and those that know me, know that would be impossible.  So, we did some more research, put ourselves on a waitlist for whale watching Monday morning, and by Monday morning, we decided whale watching was overpriced for seeing a couple whales ($145 NZD). There was also a good chance the boat could be rocky, not so great for Barry and potential seasickness. So...we went with sea kayaking to see some seals up close and personal with Kaikoura Kayaks.