Kaikoura

Our first stop on our way to Kaikoura was Pegasus Town, one of the largest green developments in the Canterbury region with around 1300-1500 homes.  

The development is about six years old, but is likely 20 years from being completely finished.  The builders and homeowners are able to plant natives within individual lots at their own discretion, but all houses within the development must meet sustainable energy efficiency specifications.  Some more green features include swales for drainage and high-density housing  (small lots are placed close together with larger areas of shared open green space among houses).  

The development neighbors the Tuhaitara Coastal Park, in which the developers have made efforts to begin restoring native vegetation in some areas.

Our next stop was for teatime at Pukeko Junction.

       Several hours later, we arrived in Kaikoura!  (Kai meaning land, koura meaning crayfish- land of the crayfish!) We first stopped for lunch at a local beach and then headed to the New Zealand fur seal sanctuary and enjoyed a closer look of lounging, playing, and barking seals!  

      The fur seals were once abundant throughout the country and have been under full government protection from hunting since 1946.  The current population is roughly 100,000 seals, however, that is estimated to be only 10-20% of the original population prior to the increase in hunting in the mid 1700’s.

        After admiring the seals from the viewing platform, we took a short drive to a mystery hike.  

        We walked about 10-15 minutes before reaching the hidden jewel- the Ohau Stream Seal Pups.  

      A hidden waterfall sanctuary acts as a nursery for up to 200 seal pups every winter, giving these young, gregarious animals a chance to develop important social and motor skills.  They return down the stream every few days for their mother’s milk until they reach about a year in age and leave the safety of the waterfall for good.  Sadly, we couldn’t spend the entire day watching the little pups chase each other in their gorgeous home and made our way back down the path to the van.

     We had just enough time for a quick souvenir-shopping trip in Kaikoura before we left to attend the Powhiri, or formal greeting, at Takahanga Marae.   The house and grounds are sacred and after a brief overview of the Powhiri process outside the grounds, we entered the Marae and the welcome ceremony began.  The welcome was conducting almost entirely in Maori, and includes first a welcome to the ancestors of both the hosts and the Manuhiri (visitors), before welcoming the guests.  Each group sang a song; the Takahanga sang a traditional Maori song that was beautiful and filled the building with a rich harmony.  (we sang Stand by Me, by Ben E. King, and did our best J ).  After a few closing words, we did the Hongi, which is a Maori traditional greeting in which each person presses their nose and forehead against one another.

      Once the formal ceremony was over, we enjoyed tea and pastries before returning to the meetinghouse for a more in depth discussion and introduction to the Takahanga Marae.  This discussion including a history of the intricately carved decorative panels covering the walls and ceilings of the Marae that depict the history of the Iwi (tribe) and its connections to the region, Maori gods, and neighboring tribes.  Sadly, no photography is permitted inside the Marae and my words can’t do the ceremony or the building’s artwork justice- but it was a truly magical experience.  After the introduction and history of the Takahanga Marae, we went to dinner at Tiki Takeway, which has been voted the best fish and chips shop on the South Island, and the second best shop in all of New Zealand. We then returned to the Marae and got settled in for the night.

-Mimi