Kaikoura and a ton of fish

Kaikoura is a cute town on a peninsula that sticks into the Pacific Ocean. According to a sign that I read, on clear days, you can see the north island from there, and it was a useful spot for the native people to keep a lookout.
We couldn’t see the north island, though it seemed pretty clear to us. We did get a beautiful walk on the peninsula, though. The whole path looked down into coves of turquoise water that were just begging for a mermaid population to move in.

On the way back, we found a trail to the water’s edge and walked the rocky beach. A path led through the white rocks. The birds were nesting so we couldn’t go to the water, and the cacophony of their cries was a reminder that we were meandering aimlessly through their home. It inspired a slightly faster pace, I’ll admit.

Back at the van, we did a little window shopping and then tried to figure out dinner. Kaikoura being a bit of a tourist town, most places were over $20 a plate, aka, not what we wanted to spend. We were about to give up and eat sandwiches in our van (vanwiches?) when we saw one more place, Cooper’s Catch. Trevor ran to check out the prices, then waved us over.
When we saw how cheap it was, we were a bit worried that it would actually include enough food. The guy in line ahead of us assured us that the portions were good, though. For like $8, we got a package wrapped like a present with enough fries for 3 people each (none of us were able to finish them) and fried lemon fish that was heaven. Also I got bread, because I like me my carbs.
We camped at the Mouth of the Hurinui, where there was a river to fish in and a bunch of plum trees.