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Published: February 14th 2007
Whales everywhere
One of the four whales we saw recovering between diving down to over a mile beneath the surface in search for its food (it must eat 450kg per day just to survive!).We spent five days in Kaikoura and had a fantastic time. Our hostel, Sunrise Lodge, was really small with just 14 beds, and was very friendly. We met lots of really nice people. Our first day in Kaikoura was a gorgeous day with clear skies so we decided to go whale watching. Kaikoura is a special place because it's where the warm waters of the north meet the cold southern waters, which causes an upwelling deep in the Kaikoura trench (3km deep) that runs very close to the coast. This means there are ideal conditions for creatures like zooplankton and krill to thrive, which means there are heaps of fish and squid that the dolphins, whales and seals love to eat and they stay there all year round.
We decided to go up in a helicopter to spot the whales as that way you can see the whole whale from above. Just being in a helicopter in itself was brilliant! We spotted four Sperm whales. It was amazing to see them, they are just so huge. It was definitely one of the best things we've done. On the flight we also saw some huge pods of Dusky dolphins jumping out
Gone in a flash
The dolphins swam so fast, so close to us, it was really difficult to get any really good pictures of them. of the water, and a pair Hectors dolphins too, which are really rare. A brilliant trip!
The following afternoon four of us went on a really good walk around the Kaikoura Penninsula. The scenery was amazing. We walked along the coast where we saw hundreds of Fur seals lazing on the rocks. At times it was a bit scary as we had to get so close to them as they were blocking our path. They are so smelly! You can smell their breath from about 20 meters. It was almost as pungent as Olly's morning breath!! We also saw two little penguins waddling back into the ocean. On the way back we collected Paua (abalone) shells on the beach and then walked back along the cliff tops where we looked down on the seals. We shared the return journey with sheep instead of seals.
The next day Olly went on a fishing trip with two other Swiss lads from the hostel. They came back with enough fish to feed everyone! They also got a crayfish each, which cost $60 each in the restaurants in town! Kaikoura literally means 'meal of crayfish' and is known for having very good
Lazy days
The seals at Kaikoura seemed to enjoy just chilling out on the rocks and scaring the odd tourist that ventured too close. crayfish. They're huge - as big as lobsters. It was probably Olly's most successful fishing trip ever! He said that they caught two fish each on every cast. They caught Sea Perch and Blue Cod which were very tasty.
The weather wasn't great on our last day in Kaikoura but we had to get up early, ready for dolphin swimming at 5.30am. It was rainy and dull and the sea was so rough that everyone felt sea-sick and a lot of people (including Olly) were very sick. On the boat while we were looking for dolphins we spotted a whale really close to us! We also saw a couple of Albatross (the largeest bird of flight in the world). Their wingspan is about 3m! The captain spotted a pod of around 400 dusky dolphins and we all jumped in. The water was very cold, taking our breath away, but it was such a great experience. We had to make silly noises to attract the dolphins but they came so close to us, it was fantastic!
We left for Christchurch the next morning.
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Mum
non-member comment
Stunning scenery
The photo of Kaikoura penninsula is stunning. Even more first time experiences for you . I have to say you both look the business in the helicopter!! I'm not surprised that people were sick whilst with the dolphins, the sea looks pretty choppy to me. Hope the weather is good for the rest of your stay in New Zealand, can't wait for next instalment. Love to you both. Mum xxxxxx