May 6

Sunday, May 6

Josh and I woke up around 8:30. We had to check out (which meant leaving the key in the sliding glass door of our room) by 10. We could still use the kitchen after 10 though. We loaded up all our gear and were in the kitchen around 10 to make ourselves a hot tea and have a chocolate granola bar. I finally made Josh’s tea the right way by adding cold tap water over the hot tea because he doesn’t like his drinks too hot while I like mine scaldingly hot. We read a magazine together while we had our drinks then we got on the road to the thermal pools in town.

Everyone in Hanmer Springs was going to the thermal pools it seemed. Which makes sense because why else would you go to Hanmer Springs? We got our gear, remembered that we should get the sunscreen, walked back to the car and I commented that this was like trying to get our act together when we went to the waterpark in Edmonton, Canada.

We saw that there was a line to enter the park. This was the first line for an activity that we’ve encountered on the trip. We got in line and paid for our entry and also for a locker to hold our stuff - $2 for 2 hours. We already had our bathing suits on so we didn’t really have to change, all we did was take our outer clothes off and put them into the locker and we were off to find a hot pool.

While there was a map at the counter where you paid, there was no property map that we could see once you entered the pool area. So, we kinda wondered around and tried to find an area that appealed to us. We went into one of the 36 degree pools first and then which was chlorinated then we went into one of the 40 degree pools that was “natural” or sulpher smelling.

After awhile, that got too hot so we switched back to one of the cooler pools. Back and forth for two hours basically. Then, I noticed that all the different chemicals had turned the opal ring that Larry had given me a brassy color. At least the ring that Josh had bought for me didn’t turn colors! I was a bit bummed about the change-thanks Hanmer Springs!

Well, I’m not a big water person so as the two hour mark approached and our locker time was about to run out, I got out and told Josh he’d have to come too. So, we got out, changed and returned to our car to put up the gear. I was ready for some lunch since the granola bar wasn’t a substantial breakfast.

We walked down the street and the leaves were falling off the trees and were on the ground. It was picture perfect fall weather. Lots of people were sitting outside at cafes but Josh didn’t want to sit outside because he didn’t want to be around smokers. We checked out a menu at a place called On 47 Bar and Grill and went inside.

We picked up menus, found a seat in the corner…a round table big enough for 6-8 people…and tried to figure out what we wanted to order. Hunger crankiness kicked in for me but soon passed. Josh ordered us nachos, fish and chips, and a steak burger. I went to order a Monteith’s Celtic Red beer-yum. When the food came, it was pretty good not great. The nachos really left something to be desired as they were in a soggy tomato water sauce. We ate all the food and were really full so it was time to get on the road to Kaikoura.

We drove on some back roads to Kaikoura and the autumn weather was really nice as were the views. We needed gas but the only small town we drove through didn’t seem to have any gas stations open. Before we reached Kaikoura, I reminded Josh that he had said he hadn’t wanted to come here. And he was like, yeah, I still don’t want to go here. I said I’d ask him how he felt as we were leaving Kaikoura tomorrow.

Luckily, we made it to Kaikoura no problems with running out of gas. We drove down the strip through town and I saw some of the hotels I had considered staying at. They looked really nice and were beachfront property. They had been too expensive so that’s why I hadn’t booked them. We got through town and it seemed we were on the road out of town again when we passed a new development area. There was a new beachfront New World and a small shopping area and then we saw our hotel but drove passed it once.

We got turned around and then we parked the car. We entered the Te Kaikoura Lodge and lifted the reception phone to contact someone to meet us. A lady met us and went through everything saying that she and her husband would not be there that night as another couple was minding the hotel. Then, she proceeded to tell us that we were the only guests booked in that night. Our room didn’t come with a tv or tea making facilities so we were welcome to use the large flat screen in the lobby and the tea facilities in the lobby.

What I wanted to know was, why didn’t we get a free upgrade to one of the studio apartments if no one else was in the hotel that night? I mean, there are 18 studios with tvs and kitchettes and only 3 suites like the one we were staying in. Seriously, what the heck?!? Anyway, we were upstairs which is what I’d asked for and there was a sliver of an ocean view from the edge of the bed and the patio. The room was very modern and fresh and new. Definitely my style. Room 15 would be the room to request as it is on the 2nd floor with the best ocean view.

We went to the car to unload our gear and we had a plan to wash some clothes tonight. Wayne, the guy owner helped carry our bag upstairs and we brought up a lot of stuff. It was around 3:30 or so and we’d been given directions on how to get to the seal colony so off we went down the road.

We reached the seal colony and the snow capped mountain peaks in the distance and the ocean in the foreground were just awesome. The sun was shining so brightly! We’d been told by the hotel owners that we could walk along the beach and then climb up the hill to walk back to the car. High tide wasn’t until 7:15, so we started our walk along the rocky shore…me in flip flops because I’d thought when they said beach walk it would be sandy not rocky!

The beach walk was AWESOME because there were real live seals right there on the shore by us. Too cool! You just don’t get to do this everyday (unless you live in Kaikoura). Around the beach we went…it was a great walk. We saw a place where you could walk up the hill to the track on top. There were grooves the size of feet cut into the very steep hill that you would put your feet into to get to the top. We figured, that can’t be the way to go up so we kept going around the beach.

That is, we walked around the beach until we encountered a fence and were like, Can we go any further? It would be a STEEP climb up but it was getting dark and we really couldn’t go back to the place where those steps were cut into the hill and we certainly couldn’t walk the whole rocky beach back before it got dark and/or the tide came in. So, we made the best decision we could and started to climb up the hill where we were.

We figured that we could use the fence posts that were going up the hill for support, however, that quickly proved false. What had we gotten ourselves into here? This was ridiculous. A sheer hill climb pretty much just holding on to the root of the grasses that were growing on the hill. I took off my flip flops and did the climb barefooted on the slippery wet grass. Heavy praying that we made it to the top. Thinking that the only reason I’d climbed Ayers Rock in Australia was for this moment right now. I would never do anything this stupid again…not recommended. Josh stopped and I was like, I can’t stop because it’s too scary to look down. I kept going and made it to the top.

There was a young guy riding his bike across the top of the hills while Josh made it up the rest of the way. We still weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak, because we didn’t know how far of a walk we had back on top of the hill and then back down to reach the car park.

It was quickly getting dark but Josh didn’t want to run. We made it thanks to Josh’s direction…I think I would have gone down the road that was used for farmers while Josh correctly had us going down the tourist path. Well, as per usual, we’d shut this place down too albeit it wasn’t intentional! There was only one other car in the car park when we left and all the sunlight was nearly gone.

We returned to town and Josh bought gas at the BP and one the gas attendants called Josh “big fella.” Funny. We went to the New World and bought some laundry detergent, doughnuts, chips, and I bought a really big chocolate/caramel muffin.

We went back to the hotel, took a shower, and we got the laundry ready to wash. We took it downstairs to the guest laundry and paid the $2 it cost to wash. We were able to fit everything in the washing tub although there was lots of stuff. We went to the reception area and I made us a hot tea (they even had trim milk in the fridge). Josh found something to watch on tele and I read a month old gossip magazine.

I went to check the laundry alone because Josh had left his shoes upstairs and it had hurt his feet the first time we’d gone to the laundry. The clothes had finished washing and the laundry room was full of condensation because it was so hot and steamy in the room. I put everything into the dryer which cost $3. Then, I went back to the lounge area with Josh. When I went to check the dryer not nearly anything was dry yet. I took out the few things that were dry and the big things like towels and jeans that were sucking up the energy and then I went back to Josh because I only had a $2 coin and two $.50 cent pieces and I needed a $1 coin.

Josh is the talker in the relationship so he asked the reception lady (who had just emerged from…wherever) if she could exchange the two coins for one coin. Then, I went back to the laundry and set things to dry again. Then I told Josh that he should go upstairs with me and get his shoes for whenever the second attempt at drying finished. We read our books while we waited and then we went downstairs to the laundry.

The dryer was still running when we got down there and the condensation was thick but not as bad as when I’d gone down there the first time. I opened the running dryer and found the clothes to be dry. When I shut the dryer door just to finish out the time I thought the dryer had running on it, it wouldn’t start again.

So, the things were dry and we took them out and went back to the room. We packed up our clean clothes (so nice to have freshly washed clothes – wonderful) and we finished up our reading and we were in bed around 11. The alarm was set for 6:00 because we had to be at the Whale Watching tour by 7:15. Josh kept commenting how comfortable the bed was and he was right. New linens and high quality too made for a very comfortable sleep.