Smorgasboarder_11_May-2012

LEFT: We left with
warm memories of true
hospitality. Gus is more
than just a guy who
runs a takeaway - he’s
a wealth of knowledge,
stories and the kind of
bloke this world needs
more of. ACROSS:
Fresh, local seafood,
homemade doughnuts
and pastries (baked on
the premises by Donna)
and great coffee...
Kaikoura locals are lucky
to have The Top Shop
around.
local delicacy not dissimilar to abalone. The meal was so good we
returned the next morning for breaky, some delicious homemade jam
filled doughnuts and coffee. Did I mention we were on a health kick?
Before we got on our way Gus sorted us out with some freshly
caught crayfish, no more than four of them to be precise, and
insisted they were on the house. New Zealand hospitality
continued to amaze us, in fact it never ceased to leave us stunned.
Surf wise, the breaks in and around Kaikoura, including the
infamous Meatworks were as flat as a tack, not even a ripple.
When visitors arrive this is apparently what happens but when it is
locals only, the place goes off its chops. Its notorious for the razor
sharp rocks beneath the water that make a meal of you if you come
a cropper near the shore.
Beneath the water there are also other things to take your breath
away and hopefully no skin. Deep underwater canyons bring cold,
nutrient rich water close to shore ensuring the water is teeming
with aquatic wildlife – seals, dolphins, orcas, whales and yes,
great white sharks.
It is such a shame we did not get amongst the waves. To be looking
out of a frosty, green barrel towards snow capped mountains that
meet the sea would have been something else. Yet another reason
to return soon.
may/jun 2012
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