A day with the locals of Monterey

Stepping onto Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped into a time warp. The good old days of clam chowder and candied apples don’t seem too far away – perhaps because every bright coloured building along the wharf sells one or the other.

Monterey is roughly 500km north of Los Angeles but a world away from the rat race. It sits just on the end of the Big Sur – and is a common stop on the road for travellers touring the Pacific Coast. It’s also a stop on the Pacific Coastal cruises, with ships sailing up and down the coast en route to San Francisco. Expedia’s Kiwi travellers tend to spend 1-2 days in this small city and that’s just enough time to meet the locals.

There are plenty of local characters in Monterey, but the most well known are the small furry ones.

Monterey is famous for its colonies of Californian Sea Otters – the playful creatures spend their time wrapped up in the area’s kelp forests, just off the shore.

Expect to see tourists peering out to the kelp, where the otters’ tiny shapes can be seen bobbing around. If you’re after an up close and personal encounter, hire a kayak and paddle out to the forests. August and September are the most popular times to visit Monterey and the warm weather makes it an ideal time to go for a paddle.

Otters hunt among the kelp but they return to the surface to eat, lying on their back and devouring their catch. If you spot a group of otters together, it’s likely you’ve found a “raft” – a gathering of same sex otters that stick together, wrapping themselves up side by side in the kelp.

If you’re keen to stay on dry land, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otters are always putting on a show, whirling through the water in their large cylindrical tank that stretches along two floors of the Aquarium.