Today we walked along the Kaikōura coast where a new shore surfaced in the 2016 earthquake. The 7.8 magnitude quake lifted the seabed by 0.5 to 2 meters (2 to 7 feet) along a 20-km stretch of the Kaikoura coast. The exposed white rocks were lovely, and the terraces seemed to gleam in the sunlight. These are Amuri limestone. The grey rock is mudstone. Out to sea, there was a color change in the water, which may reflect a change in water temperature and water depth.
In the waters along this part of the shore, there is a ‘Rahui’. This is Maori restriction implemented by the Ministry of Fisheries on all fishing or gathering any marine life. The purpose is to allow a restoration of the Mahinga Kai (food gathering area) to recover to a sustainable level.
There were fur seals aplenty on the rocks, basking in the sunshine of what turned out to be a beautiful day. We also saw some shags and other seabirds.
After walking along the shore, we climbed up to the Kaikōura Coastal Walkway and had some tremendous views out to sea and down to the shore.
After walking for 3 or so hours, we lunched in Kaikoura and then drove via the very winding inland road to Hanmer Springs. The terrain along this mountain pass was extremely dry, with golden pastures. We crossed a number of rivers using one way bridges. Most of the rivers appeared to be mere trickles across a swath of shingle – stone carried down from the Southern Alps. The rivers tend to meander over the shingle in multiple streams, sometimes giving the appearance of being braided or intertwined. (Thanks to George for this and other explanations.) The Waiau was a more substantial river with a superb one-lane bridge that we crossed (but not at the same time as the logging truck).
Tomorrow we explore Hanmer Springs.