Whale Watching in Kaikoura
Yesterday morning we left Franz Josef and had a full day of driving to get to Kaikoura which is on the north east coast of South Island. The long drive was made more interesting as we took the Arthur's Pass to cross the mountain range. The engineering that made this road possible was hugely impressive and once more we were treated to some spectacular scenery.
As we neared Kaikoura (by now it was dusk) we had a very strange experience. As we passed by some dense vegetation along the coastal road, it sounded like we had driven into a hailstorm but in fact we had driven into a swarm of thousands of black insects. There were so many that Mark had to put the windscreen wipers on to clear them off. Yuck! Later we treated ourselves to a nice fish and chips dinner and found a quiet spot on a beautiful bay to spend the night.
This morning we woke up to the sound of waves crashing just outside our camper and after adoring the spectacular view (and a quick brekkie), we headed over to the Whale Station for our whale-watching cruise. Kaikoura is a very special place. The coastline here is very near the continental shelf and only a mile off the bay the sea bed sharply plunges from 90m depth into more than 800m. This creates a convergence of warm and cold water and as currents hits this shelf they create an upwelling of nutrient-rich water from the ocean floor, creating a perfect feeding zone for many marine animals, including whales, dolphins, seals, penguins and albatrosses.
A slight overdose on the anti-seasickness tablets and I didn't have to worry about the potentially choppy waters. Instead I enjoyed three different sperm whales as they took breaks from their feeding at depths to come up for a breath of air. The boat got fairly close each time and we watched them take huge lungfuls of air and spurt out water/air mixtures from their blow holes. After around 10 minutes on the surface they disappeared back into the deep blue with a final wave of their impressive tail. Amazing!
It was my first encounter with these majestic creatures of the deep and one I will remember for a long time. What a treat indeed! I just wish I could see one when I'm in the water - either snorkelling, or better yet, during a dive. They are amazing creatures but from the surface you only really get to see a tiny part. To see them underwater in their natural environment would be just magical. I think that'll have to be a separate trip - perhaps to the West Coast of Mexico or back to South America?!. I fear the more I tick off the bucket list the more that gets added on. Oh well, we're now off to the Marlborough region, famous for their lovely Sauvingnon Blancs and I've been looking forward to this for a long time! We'll be on our bikes all day popping from one vinery to the next. Tonight I'll be praying for plenty of sunshine and some fairly flat roads.
