On the east side of the south island of New Zealand is a place called Kaikōura. This is one of the best places in the country for marine mammal viewing. In fact, it is one of the most popular whale watching destinations in the world!
This area is rich in marine life thanks to its geology and geography. Due to volcanic activity and plate movements, the sea in this area contains several very deep canyons. Deep water like is perfect for sperm whales, as they have to dive deep (2 -3 km) to reach their prey – squid. Therefore these amazing, huge whales are year round residents of Kaikōura.
The area also sits on the migration route of humpback whales, between their tropical breeding grounds and their feeding grounds in the Antarctic, and these incredible beings are frequently spotted, mainly between May and October.
My partner and I recently had a wonderful experience on a whale watching tour with Whale Watch Kaikōura. These tours are ethical and respectful and do not approach whales too closely or bother them. They are very experienced and know where the whales are likely to be, and are in contact with other companies who share locations. The idea is to watch from a respectful distance, and if the whales approach the boat that is their prerogative.
We were so lucky that day. We had heard a report that there were two humpback whales who kept surfacing briefly to breathe then dive back down to feed. We watched in anticipation, waiting for them to surface. That day the sea was a steely grey, exactly the same colour as the whales. Therefore the spout was one of the easiest ways to locate the whales, indicating they have surfaced to breathe. Seeing the spout whoosh skywards is a wonderful thing!
After an amazing view of a spout, we saw the lumpy, huge back of the whale as they prepared to dive, then the awesome tail view as the fluke broke the surface and seemed to hang for a second in suspended animation, before slowly following the whale under the surface.
I was over the moon with this view, and would have been happy if that’s all that we got. Then the whale BREACHED! It was so incredible I was speechless. What an amazing thing to witness! They were so close to the boat, it was unbelievable to be that close to something so awesome and huge and wild. Then it happened again, and again!
After all the breaching, the whale then seemed to lounge at the surface quite happily, slapping the surface with their enormous fins and rolling over in the waves. A very chilled out individual!
In addition to this amazing spectacle, we also had amazing views of several Dusky Dolphins, with calves!
I cannot recommend this place enough if you are a whale enthusiast. It was one of the best days of our trip.
-Kayleigh Ann
This post was adapted from a blog, read the original here.
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