Kaikoura

[dianavilliers]

Skipping Hanmer, going straight to Kaikoura.

It's not that Hanmer's not worth a picture or two, it's just that I was driving, for the first time in a couple of years,  and was exhausted by the time we got there.  The hot  springs were most welcome, as were the lamb shanks at the pub. The backpackers, on the other hand was not. It could have been great, a very pretty little place, but the proprietress was officious and the  beds were squeaky. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Claire got some, but had nightmares about the ferry sinking.

Kaikoura is where things start getting really complicated. The seaward Kaikoura ranges in the distance mark the northern end of the Alpine fault which occurs on an east-over-west subduction zone. Off this coast is the Hikurangi trench, a continuation of  the southern end of the Kermadec trench which is on a west-over-east  subduction zone.  I remember my stage I  geology lecturer kind of knitting his fingers together to demonstrate this.  I also remember him apologising to us for having to teach something as complicated as the geological history of New Zealand to stage I students.
This whole geological mess continues north under Wellington and out  Hawkes bay.

The Hikorangi trench brings cold Antarctic water and assorted sea mammals close to the coast here, which in turn attracts tourists in large numbers. They used to attract whalers, but they're not so welcome any more.

Comments

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Yeah but with the right shore defences, that open beach would become a slice of hell. Open as anything, no dunes and no easy way to dig into that pebble beach.

But right now, that is very beautiful!

[wcg.livejournal.com]

True enough. However, there are things that can be done with helicopters that didn't exist during WW II.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Very true that, and it would probably come down to a long range missile duel first, and who had any close defences left at the end of it. Come to think of it, I wonder if it's even possible to make any position completely defensible.

Still, that's something I hope never gets tested there.