Our first (and only) full day in Kaikoura turned out better than it started. It started slow, and those of you who know the Iron Tourist well know that I’m not one for wasting time.
The sunrise was amazing to watch. The sun crept over the Peninsula, and lit up the Kaikoura mountain range, especially the snow. We had no problems dealing with no shower or bedroom doors – I sat at the kitchen table and blogged/worked while Maddy got ready. I, of course, had risen early. . .long before she was awake.
Then, we drove down into town to a little café called “Why Not” for the best brekkie we’ve had on the trip.
We were scheduled for whale watch Kaikoura at 10am. It started slow, but turned out great. They had a half hour delay – not because of weather, but, well, I’m not sure. We used that time to return to the house and grab our winterish coats (not fully winter coats) – it was going to be cold on the Pacific.
After the briefing we all went on the shuttle bus to the South Bay side of the Peninsula. We had to sit in the boat until we slowed down close to where the sperm whale had been last sighted.
We were told that at best we would see one sperm whale for 5-10 minutes. While other parts of the year (mostly summer) have many more whales – both in number and in type, early spring is not very whaley (look, a new word!).
Once we slowed down, everyone went out side, the Asians pushing in fear they might miss something. They didn’t miss anything. The captain brought out the listening device, and put it in the water on both sides of the boat.
Whale Watch Kaikoura does not use sonar or anything that would disturb the whales. They use GPS (last known sighting), the listening device, and their eyes as their three tools for whale finding.
Sperm whales dive deep (1,000 feet to the bottom) and hang down there for upwards of an hour to feed before coming up to breathe, clear the crud out of their system (that’s what comes out of the blowhole), and then head back down. At the bottom, and a bit on the way up, the whales make a very discernible sound. Once they are within 5-10 minutes of surfacing, however, the sound stops, which usually means they are about to surface. Obviously I didn’t know all this stuff, but got it from our guide’s briefing.
Her best line came when she was showing the slide of a sperm whale. The broader point was that we only see a little bit of it – the head is one third, the middle is one third, and the tail is one third. And then she said, “And for you Australians, this is the head, and this is the tail” as she pointed to the head then tail.
Kiwis and Aussies have a pretty good rivalry. They profess to not like the others, but it seems they need each other to have somebody to dislike without being accused of racism. Good fun.
Anyhow, after the first listening, we moved a bit and he listened again. He was satisfied with the location, and they reported hearing nothing over the loudspeaker. Just about the time we were beginning to think we had struck out, the sperm whale breached the water.
The breaching was not dramatic and yet it was. It was not dramatic because it was not like the whale rocketed halfway out of the water. It was dramatic because those of us on the starboard side all saw it pop up off the bow. The captain brought the boat a little closer (not a lot), and the whale watching planes and helicopter all rushed over. From a distance another whale watch boat was steaming our way, but we probably had a five minute jump on it.
Again, we only saw a small part of the whale (thus the pictures are only mildly interesting – you had to be there). But, when the sperm whale expelled the crud, that made for some good pics. I think I got some with the snow-capped mountains in the background.
Then, dramatically, the whale arched so the middle broke the surface. Then it arched again, then the tail came up for a non-dramatic dive. But then, after a flash of disappointment, it raised the tail up and dove down. I got three or four great shots.
On the way back, we stopped amid a large pod (over 100) of dusky dolphins, who once again put on a show for us. I think I got better pictures this time, so don’t be surprised when you see more of these playful show-offs. Dusky dolphins are the best dolphins I’ve seen in the wild, putting on quite a performance of leaps and flips and skips.
After the whale watch, we stopped at a wool shop where Carol got some souvenirs for family members. I picked out a nice black vest of merino wool mixed that is blended with possum hair to strength it! Then we got our boots back at the house for hiking, followed by lunch at Why Not? Then, it was off to find the fur seals!
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