26-28 May Kaikoura

Campsite at Beach

Well the journey between Geraldine and Kaikoura was appalling. The road signage from NZTA about the diversion was virtually non-existent and the tourists we met enroute were very confused about the diversions in place and how to get there. Many tourists rely entirely on their GPS or phone for directions - and here not only were there no correct maps after the damage, but no wifi or 3G either. It was chaos in some areas. The Earthquake had closed the main route, so the only alternative was a serious amount of extra mileage through some beautiful but rural roads with no facilities. There's no doubt that if we hadn't previously made a promise to ourselves that we would support the earthquake-stricken community of Kaikoura, we would have given-up and taken the 'easy route' home. BUT we persevered!

We stopped at a cafe enroute and found the owners were preparing sandwiches and rolls to deliver to the builders working in Kaikoura (about 50kms away). Their coffee was poor quality and expensive. That was disappointing.

After many hours of travelling, dozens of faulty traffic lights and stop/go manual controls,  and then negotiating numerous large herds of cows that were constantly being driven down roads and holding-up the already frustrated drivers, we arrived. Phew!

Herds of cows on the Kaikoura roads - so much for infection and bTB prevention measures

But we arrived to another empty campsite and in beautiful weather... 

We camped right on the beach and had the campsite to ourselves!

The campsite manager would not offer us our usual discount - I guess she needed every penny after the Earthquake fiasco and tourists not finding them. But the camp was well-equipped and we set up camp right by the beach so we could sleep to the sound of the wave. Then we explored the beach (we weren't far from the massive landslip that the diggers were fighting to clear for the road and rail links) ...

Looking North from our camp - the landslip is clearly visible in the centre of the photo

...and then drove into town for some provisions from the shops. Many of the shops have closed down due to lack of trade and/or the safety risk of their buildings. It was heartbreaking to see. 


But we re-visited the Irish pub Donegal House that we had been to all those years before and found a very successful business which had expanded. It was interesting to note that the New World Supermarket had been rebuilt near to town and was doing well. But I couldn't help thinking whether that money could have been better spent elsewhere when so many residents were moving out and hardly any tourists were here now (where would they stay?). Nothing can prepare you for the devastation evident at the centre of the town's beach area. This is where the seabed was actually pushed-up out of the sea level, in some areas by many metres, as you can see here which is actually the old seabed with coral and shells intact:

The quayside where the fishing and tourists boats were launched is virtually unusable and is now the subject of some serious machinery and noise in order to make it effective in some way soon: 

Quayside in Kaikoura's earthquake-hit town

We discovered by talking to locals that the builders working on the damaged buildings were mainly staying out of town - and some of the cafes were a bit frustrated (understandably) that they hadn't won the contract to supply their food rather than an out-of town outfit. The campsite in the centre of town had closed down completely, as had the hotel where we had previously stayed.

The main street in Kaikoura - scaffold and fences throughout.

The town was still seriously suffering in terms of infrastructure - as this sign over the central bridge in town illustrated. Sewage in the middle of the town is not a great look for the nearby pavement cafes. 

We still wanted to support what little retailers had stayed. I bought some fabric from the wonderful little shop A Patch of Country (which sadly, as I write this, is now closing down also).

We had a fish & chip supper (average) from a cafe. Reading this sign didn't do anything for my appetite!   

We stayed a couple of days and then moved on up North. I was sad that the local community had been let down by Government. It seems that the Christchurch disaster had not taught anyone in any position of power any lessons. 6 Years is long time - will the Kaikoura people survive that long without proper support? Unlikely, from what we witnessed.