“Nihon-jin?”“I I ye,watashi wa chugoku-jin.desu”. It was out of my expectation that the few Japanese words I could speak have played an important role in Kaikoura, a remote and small town in Southern Island, New Zealand. Maybe due to our oriental faces, a Japanese girl who worked as waitress in this restaurant treated me as a Japanese, and while eating the various kinds of seafood she had delivered, I had not realized she has been the only oriental I have ever met in Kaikoura.

Although Kaikoura is a very small town in South Island, it hold several records in New Zealand. Firstly, it is a dream for every tourist visiting New Zealand to look at the whales in Kaikoura, and you don’t need to go to South Pole, and by taking a life boat, you can approach the whales at a very close range, and some tourists will get as close as only several feet, disregarding all potential dangers. Secondly, the beach in Kaikoura is the biggest gathering place for seals in New Zealand. During every spring and autumn, there will be a large number of seals gathering at the beach, southeast of Kaikoura – what a spectacular sight. Thirdly, Kaikoura owns the best sightseeing point in New Zealand. After great effort, I climbed onto the mountain top, and found this place reputed for its best views of New Zealand, and immediately, I was shocked by what was in front of me. The seals lied on the beach, and the Southern Pacific nearby, and Antarctica is just 4000 km away.

Lying on the bed in my hotel room, with the heavy wind and rains out of the window, on the day when I arrived at Kaikoura, I encountered the rare typhoon. Through the window blind, I could see the snow mountains not far away, and what amazed me was the low winds on the top of the mountains, and I could even see the snowfall. On the narrow stairs, all the floors were covered by carpets, and each room is so small, and in the past, this hotel was a church school founded in 1904, and there are the silent rangelands surrounding it, and occasionally, there would be one or two milk cows sneaked in to eat the leaves in the yard, and the farm owners would be quickly drive them away. In the restroom on the 2nd floor, few guests were sitting everywhere, some of them were napping and some were making coffee. I sat beside the fireplace, chatting with several kids from France. They all were friends of the hostess in France, and whenever in holiday, they would come here to stay for few days, to enjoy the quiet here.

For my first time, I was eager to block up my ears, because I had almost heard the sound of “Silence”

Information chapter:
Recommended outdoor activities

1. Whale Watch Kalkoura
The biggest local company, providing the services for viewing the whales and seals during the whole day.
Reservation Tel: (0064-3)3196767
Reservation website: www.whalewatch.co.nz
Email:res@whalewatch.co.nz

2. Fyffe View Horse Treks
The horse riding tour with the unique features. It will take 2 hours’ time to ride a horse to cross the areas of farms, beaches and valleys, etc in Kalkoura. The tour is mainly provided in summer, with the price for NZ$40/person.
Reservation Tel: (0064-3) 3195069

Recommended hotels

The Old Covent (Strongly recommended)
Located in a very small place in the northwest of Kalkoura, in the typical English village style, and the host is very warm, and his wife is a French, and the French meal here is very good. Immediately after walking out of the door, you can see snow mountains.>
Reservation tel: (0064-3) 3196603
Reservation website: www.theoldconvent.cn.nz
Email:0.convent@xtra.co.nz