So before we go any further with today’s blog, please be aware that this edition is being written by Dave, which maybe gives you an indication of how today went?

We got up early (6.30) for a brisk walk along the bay with the sun rising to the Whaleway station for our Kaikoura whale watching trip which began around 7.45. The board at check in said sea conditions were ‘moderate’. A coach took us on a short journey to the wharf where we boarded our jet propelled boat for the 2 hour experience.

I’ll give you the condensed version of the trip – we saw no whales or in fact any other marine life over the entire trip, Tracey ended up using multiple sick bags over the course of the journey (CAS as we call it in the Charlton household – Chunder At Sea – Lewis and Abbie will be proud of her) plus there was a medical emergency onboard which meant a St. John’s ambulance was waiting for us on our return. All in all an unforgettable experience (the bit of good news is we are due to get a refund).

Back at the hotel Tracey needed a lie down for an hour or so to recover so I put a wash on and sat outside in the sunshine for a read (A New History of Simple Minds – highly recommend btw).

Tracey was feeling a bit better after her sleep so we ventured out and had a nice walk along the coast and took in Point Kean, Fyffe House and a bite to eat of crayfish and whitebait at the Kaikoura seafood BBQ shack before heading back to the hotel.

Then it was back into town for dinner at Gropers Garage – you’ll be pleased to hear that Tracey is back on the beers now.

Normal blog service will be resumed tomorrow…..