We were standing on a cliff’s edge, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Straight ahead, well over the horizon, was Chile.  To our right, Antarctica.

As we looked left, the cloud cover that had followed us most of the day began to clear, revealing snow-capped mountains leading right up to the water’s edge.

Caroline asked incredulously: “Where the heck are we?”

A day taking in scenery on New Zealand’s South Island will make you wonder.

We had arrived in Picton the night before, on the ferry from Wellington.  The crossing itself was extraordinary, the ship making its way through Marlborough Sounds.

From there we drove south following Highway 1 along the South Island’s east coast.  It’s a drive that first invites, then vanquishes comparisons to California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

After a few hours we reached Kaikoura, a picturesque peninsula town.  There are few places in the world with such awesome mountains so close to the sea.

In Maori legend, Kaikoura was where the demi-god Maui sat when he fished the North Island up from the depths of the sea.

As recently as the 1980s, no one was very interested in Kaikoura – it was known only for its crayfish.

These days, it’s a tourist mecca, known for its surfing, its seal colony and opportunities for whale watching.

More pictures from New Zealand’s South Island are posted here.