From Nelson we headed to Kaikoura via Murchison, Maruia Springs and Waiau. The drive took 7 hours and it was pretty uneventful and slow due to a lot of road work and stoppages along the twisting road. The original road via Blenheim, which would have been much faster, is still closed due to the last year's earthquake north of Kaikoura. Thankfully the weather was nice, around 28 degrees, when we arrived in Kaikoura. The B&B we stayed in was on a hill overlooking Kaikoura beach and the bay so our room had the best view of all the places we stayed in. We walked to town, which was unfortunately still being avoided by many tourists (because of last year's earthquake) so it felt quite deserted and looked a bit gritty and neglected... However, there is a nice majestic pine lined esplanade following the beach, with a pretty War Memorial. At The Pier Hotel we shared a seafood platter, chips and a beer while gazing out at the white limestone rocks (reminding us that the whole bay was lifted 1 to 2 metres in the earthquake) and the beautiful view of the bay.