WHALES AND DOLPHINS IN KAIKOURA...

Kaikoura is mainly known for its whale and dolphin activity (not to mention the seals), due to the very unique ocean topography of the coast.  Not far off of the coastline, the depth drops off pretty severely which creates a unique feeding environment for whales, sperm whales in particular.  It is truly awe-inspiring, words cannot describe really, to be that close to one of the largest mammals in the world. One is only able to view a sperm whale on the surface of the water during the 10 or so minutes that they come up to breathe after a period of 1-2 hours of diving~amazing!!! I tried to capture the classic whale blow hole event.  I took so many photos trying to capture one good shot--I spared you, believe me.  We were also graced with a huge school of dusky dolphins, known as the acrobats of the ocean.  I should have taken video instead of fruitlessly trying to capture a photo of the magic we witnessed.

KAIKOURA AND AROUND...

Next, we headed south from Marlborough to Kaikoura preparing for some whale watching, but more on that later... The coast driving into Kaikoura was absolutely amazing.  The sunset that night was spectacular--Terry got some really good shots of it... We also took some shots the next morning before our whale watching trip.  A nice walk around the unique rocky coastline allowed us to sneak up on some seals that were sunbathing after a good morning feeding, I suppose...

MARLBOROUGH WINE REGION...

Well, after getting off of the Abel Tasman and out of the kayaks—we (and the rain) decided it was time for another wine country tour, and it was right there...  The Marlborough Wine Region is famous for its Pinot Noir, as well as all of the aromatic white wines-Gerwurztaminer, Pinto Gris, Riesling... We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
As for the images, we came off the water and went to a cute little bar that used to be a church (how appropriate...), found a camp site, went straight into wine country, then visited a cute local butcher on our way out of town.  Next stop--Kaikoura for whale and dolphin watching!!!

KAYAKING THE ABEL TASMAN TRAIL...

We (Terry) studied the weather well, so we beat the rain and headed to the Abel Tasman Trail for our first stop in the South Island.  We decided to kayak the coastal trail instead of hiking it, an absolutely amazing way to see an awe-inspiring coastline.  We were so close to the wildlife and the amazingly sculpted landscape.  Wind and water are the most efficient and gorgeous modes of sculpting...
In our photos, despite the amazing landscape views that are at every turn, we came across some very friendly seals and seal pups, an albatross (looks like a huge seagull) unashamedly devouring a starfish (that was a feat for the glutton), and some amazing rock formations... also, the cutest little penguin hiding in a cave on an island we landed on!  Really, the photos say more than I could.  There are many many photos, but I really did go through hundreds to get these 40!!!