Please Hanmer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em (Feb. 21 – 23)

Leaving Blenheim, we decided to head down the east coast of the country towards Christchurch. In the spirit of not rushing through the country, we stopped first in Kaikoura, which seems to be a major destination for most tourists coming through NZ, and based on the number of hostels found in such a small town, backpackers as well. As we left Blenheim, the dry hills and relentlessly sunny skies quickly gave way to a coast road shrouded in fog and bounded closely by a dark blue sea and steep green mountains.

"You lookin' at me?"

Kaikoura is a small, seasonal seaside resort town, and is a major center for whale and dolphin-watching tours. It also seems to be Crayfish Central in NZ, with heaps of stands and restaurants schlepping the little buggers at wildly expensive prices. A typical crayfish dinner runs about NZ$70 (equivalent to a $50 lobster dinner in the States), so yeah, we decided to skip that local delicacy. Like Paihia, another tourist trap-type town, we weren’t totally charmed by Kaikoura, especially since it was a bit gritty in places. Our backpackers there would probably be best described as South Pacific/Barton Fink style accommodations, with a screeching train running by several times a night right past our window. Other than that, it was marvelous!

Becky's attempt at an artistic photograph

It wasn’t all bad in Kaikoura though, as I got a chance to practice my selling techniques, and we did a cool shoreline walk outside of town. Re: selling beer, I approached a couple cafés that advertised ‘boutique beers’ and basically stopped in, found their bar managers, dropped off a few samples and information, and that was it. Having never really done cold calls before, I was a bit nervous on the first one, but it went pretty smoothly, so that seemed alright. The second went even better, so bully for me I suppose.

Andrew's attempt at an artistic photograph

As you can see from some of our pictures, great weather didn’t follow us from Blenheim, but we still made a go of it. As you can see, I’m wearing pants for the first time in weeks. Pants and a polo shirt was pretty much the only concession to professionalism I could make given my backpackers’ wardrobe. Even that outfit doesn’t look that great, since it’s been rolled up in my bag for a good six weeks now. Sorry, Brian and Andy, I’m trying to look like a pro, but it ain’t easy!

And you want to be my Renaissance Beer salesman?

Kaikoura, we headed southwest inland to Hanmer Springs. Leaving Kaikoura, it gets even more rural, even for NZ, which is saying something. Mountain highways with few cars on the road and even fewer visible houses were the rule along this stretch, though once we got to Hanmer, it was much more developed. Even with that, it was a picturesque and sleepy little town set in the mountains with not much happening. I soon found out why Becky was so keen to go to Hanmer: a hot springs park. If you could be addicted to lounging in hot water, she would absolutely have it. But since she’s a good sport about going to every little brewery in the country, I of course acquiesced, and so we went and had a good soak that evening. Navigating, after all, is tiring work, hehe.

Seal on the beach