Having a Whale of a Time

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Whale Performance

As we left Hamner Springs for a pleasant 2 & 1/2 hour journey to Kaikoura, we enjoyed more of Nz's beautiful scenery. The road wound around and clung to mountains, sprinted straight along the depths of the valley and bridged over creeks. Along the way we saw green pastures dotted with cows, sheep, deer, birds of prey, pine forests & lakes.

Once on the straight road again we could see the sea, like a blue ribbon on the horizon. We were particularly excited to see the sea today as Kaikoura is renowned for it's marine-life. We first stopped at the Water Tower lookout for panoramic views of Kaikoura bay for a picnic lunch.

Then we travelled along the coastline and saw lots of birdlife. When we reached Point Kean, three Nz Fur Seals basking on the rocks greeted us. Little activity happening here from the seals, so we decided we would return later for some more action.

We boarded our catamaran 'Tahora' in hope of some whale sightings within the Pacific Ocean. Our luck was in today, as we were followed the whole journey by the very friendly Dusky Dolphins. They were abundant doing forward, backward and side flips - what a performance! We also saw the Southern Royal, Gibson and Buller albatrosses.

As our guide was dipping his hydrophone using up-to-the-minute technology in search of the Sperm whale, the Dusky dolphins kept us entertained. Then the moment came, one enormous Sperm Whale surfaced called Noodle, blasting water mist high into the air as it took each breath, bobbing up and down. The whale didn't seem to mind the dolphins dancing around him continuously. He then did an amazing tail flip, (the perfect picture shot), before returning back under the seawater.

We travelled further in search of another whale, with the dolphins still accompanying us, & spotted another Sperm Whale called Tono. Those guys are huge, being 16-18 metres in length, the same size as our boat! We watched for a while before he did a tail flip too & bobbed underneath the water surface. We returned back to the harbour, a rather choppy ride.

We learnt that there is an active canyon underneath the surface of the water & that the coastline was in the shape of a whale's tail. A fantastic experience, one we will never forget. Whale watch is run by the local Maori community and is a good example of ecotourism - highly recommended.*

We decided to return back to Point Kean to watch the Nz Fur Seals, more abundant now and slightly more active. We did a quick walk up the hill for views of the Kaikoura peninsula. Eating hot chips at sunset the perfect end to the day. . We made our way back to a campsite and were greeted by a huge cat - tempted to give it a home for the night! That night we were the only people at this campsite, so enjoyed exclusive facilities.

Kaikoura a definite highlight for wildlife. Our final day in S. Island - one of the best! Don't forget to watch the attached video.

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Photos

An Important Meeting
Seabirds on the rock gather