Day 55 - Bye Bye Motueka...Hello Kaikoura (Sun 2nd Jan)

This morning Chaggie woke at 07:30 and showered, the beds were surprisingly comfortable for a Backpackers Hostel but then again all we had to compare it to is the one we stayed in at Cairns. Chaggie drove to Eleanor's one last time this morning so that we could say farewell before continuing our travels, well that and having breakfast of course.

This morning Chino and Phill managed to buy their Ferry tickets, getting us back onto the North Island on the 30th January.

It was around 10:30 that Chaggie finished off their breakfast and got back into the car ready for a long drive. Was a sad moment leaving Eleanor and the family knowing it may be our last time in Motueka for the trip. Christmas was now over as well as our break in Kaiteriteri, now off to carry on our travelling (what a tough life hey!)

On the way to Kaikoura today Chaggie had already planned to make a stop in Hanmer Springs, it was a long 4 hour drive getting us there. We drove down the Lewis Pass to get there, providing us with some spectacular scenery (well, the scenery that wasn't covered by clouds).

Our stop in Hanmer Springs was to check out their popular Hot and Thermal Springs. An attraction the location is famous for around New Zealand. It was $20  entry and turned out to be not what Chaggie were expecting. We had the image of them being natural springs with plenty of space around. It's actually a fenced off area with man made big Jacuzzi's in pretty much. Unfortunately they weren't empty either, being a holiday the place was packed, despite the overcast weather. So in every spa/hot spring we managed to squeeze into, we had a lot of people around us, all nice and sweaty! It may not have been what we were expecting but in the end did turn out to be quite relaxing, the 40 degree pool was a favourite.

After a calm stop off in Hanmer Springs we continued our journey to Kaikoura around 16:30. Making sure we made a petrol stop on the way, it took us about 2 hours to get us there. This evening Chaggie checked into their pre-booked hostel (Dolphin Lodge Backpackers) before going shopping for a quick bite to eat. In the end we spent $2 on some noodles and chilled out at the hostel making friends with a German girl called Heather (the first person who's name we've remembered after meeting them for the first time).

Chaggie x