Day 49- Kickin’ back in Kaikoura

We woke up the next morning with no definite plans for the day- we had to stay in town until the next day (as Jens wanted to swim with dolphins the next morning), so we decided to go walk along the peninsula. We completed the walk over grassy farmland (heading straight into the sea via limestone cliffs) in a few hours, and walked back to see seals on the shore. These walks are immensely enjoyable- each one is different, and they all promise to be interesting with great sights. This walk was no different- we ended up with views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the brilliant blue water crashing over limestone formations. According to a geologist friend of mine, all of New Zealand is marine sediment, meaning it was all originally ocean that got uplifted over time above sea level. Unlike Hawaii, which is volcanically raised (and thus made of igneous rock I presume), New Zealand has these sedimentary deposits everywhere- which is why limestone prevails and makes such cool shapes and arches as it erodes. This leads to dynamic shifting coastlines that are a wonder to behold- it is one of the keys to the beauty of the country, I would wager. After this small trip, we returned and had a few hours to kill. We decided to split up and do whatever we wanted. I decided to go visit the shops, and had a few good conversations with locals, but didn’t purchase anything. We spent the evening relaxing, but unlike our other stops we didn’t meet anyone interesting to have a conversation with. We slept in and slept well.