from the starry sky to the whales...

Now we went on to the nearby Lake Tekapo! We were surprised by the number of tourists there!!! The place is very small and famous for its church, Shepard's church... It was crowded with tourists, so we first went to our cottage by the lake. Unfortunately, the smoke from Australia was still present, so the visibility was only moderate. Nevertheless, we took a walk on Crown Hill through many fields of lupines (the scent is indescribable!!!) and down to the lake... I improvised dinner with a hotplate and a microwave (we need to buy a microwave now...)! After that, we went to bed and set the alarm for 1.15 am. Finally, it was dark and we could see thousands of stars! For me, an incredible feeling!!! I walked to the church in the dark and I was definitely not alone... When we returned, we woke up the children and admired the starry sky together! Then we could all go back to sleep and in the morning we continued to Hanmer Springs. Once again, the drive was simply breathtaking. We checked in and 15 minutes later we were bathing in the hot springs! The children also really enjoyed it! And now it was off to the sea again - to Kaikoura! We settled into our cottage in the harbor and went straight to whale watching. Since we were early, we were able to board a boat earlier. We were warned about the rough sea, but we didn't pay much attention to it. Then it started, and the sea was really rough! Alex turned pale and Matti didn't look great either... At the first stop with the humpback whale, Matti stayed inside - he considered it too dangerous to go outside! We admired this giant colossus and looked forward to the sperm whale, who was already waiting for us. Matti also went outside and we were able to see the fin as we wanted, when it dived! By now, Alex had retreated inside, along with many others and those white bags... The three of us enjoyed the sight of albatrosses and the show of the humpback whale. Unfortunately, the Hector's dolphins let us down... When we got back to land, Alex walked to our apartment and we picked up fish and chips on the way home! In the morning, we woke up with dolphins frolicking in front of the house... We had a relaxing day and walked over the hill to the town center. We watched dolphins on the way and had plenty of time to shop. A good coffee and ice cream were a must... On the way back, after collecting shells, we went back to play and enjoy the overly romantic sunset! We enjoyed lobster as an appetizer and lamb as the main course! New Zealand is amazing!