Kaikoura Day 157 22/02/2015

We woke to torrential rain pounding down on the camper van. Luckily despite low cloud it was relatively clear at sea level and we hoped our whale watching trip was still on. It did put a stop to the planned walk around the peninsular so instead we had a leisurely start to the day and then went to the supermarket to stock up on provisions. We phoned the tour operator who confirmed trips were still running and were actually able to bring ours forward from 3pm to 1.45pm (we guessed that some people must have cancelled due to the weather). By lunchtime the rain had stopped and after a bit to eat at our van we walked the short distance to the Whale Watching centre. It's actually next to the campsite but across a railway so the safest bet is to walk around and use the bridge. The safety briefing didn't actually start until 2.15pm so we had coffee and then watched a video on whales to pass the time. After the briefing we were driven around the peninsular to where the boat was docked. They are apparently purpose built boats and can travel up to 35 knots (c50kpm). The sea was calm as we set off in search of whales. Male sperm whales stay in the shores here all year round and that's what we were hoping to see. They're the largest toothed predator and can live up to 60 years. After a short ride we stopped along with two other boats and a helicopter circling overhead. It wasn't long before we saw the blow hole from a whale and it coming to the surface to breathe. It's amazing to see such huge creatures. This one, Tuka, is nearly 18m in length, the same length as the boat we were on. After watching it empty and refill it's lungs for about 10 minutes it dived back into the depths of the ocean, it's tail fin high in the air and then cutting through the water. From here we travelled for another 15 minutes to see another whale, Tiaki, come to the surface to breathe which had been spotted by the helicopter. Along the way we saw lots of birdlife including numerous albatross. The dolphins were apparently much further down the coast so we set off in search of what else we could see. Diane thought she saw a dolphin only to be told it was a blue fin shark. It was about 1.5m and whilst they typically feed on small fish and squid Diane was glad she hadn't seen it before she went for a swim yesterday! On the way back to the harbour we watched a video which depicted what the ocean bed would look like if you removed all the water. It was amazing to see and a good way to end a great trip. We can now add whales and sharks to the myriad of wildlife we've seen since we've been in Australasia. Back at our van we had dinner and planned out the next few days before retiring to bed.

Tuka coming up for air 

Our fellow whale watchers on the same boat as we were on 

Going down.....

Looking for whales

A blue fin shark 

A rather nonchalant albatross 

The campsite at Kaikoura