It's exactly a week till I fly up to Auckland again, with Gran, to bid her farewell for goodness know how long. She has been in NZ to help out with our family since mum fell sick 6 months ago. We were unable to show Gran around too much this time, though she has been here before, that was 10 years ago, so we decided to take her to Kaikoura for a day today. Kaikoura is about 2.5h drive North of Christchurch.

Kaikoura is a collection of two Maori words, 'kai' meaning 'food, or eat', and 'koura' meaning 'crayfish'. So you get the idea that Kaikoura is famous for its crayfish. It's also known for their seal colony and whale watching.

We had a grilled crayfish along the side of the road, with seafood chowder. The crayfish was served with (very mushed) rice, a toast, a lettuce leaf, and lemon wedges. Miam!

It was a short trip, but not without a happening. On the way to, we encountered a bird that flew straight into us.. We were unable to stop in time on the motorway, and unfortunately I don't think the bird survived... It took our side mirror on its way, as well. Was quite a shock for us to hear such a thump as it made contact with the car... I'm so sorry, peacock, I hope it ended quickly, there wasn't much we could do for you.. :(