Kaikoura and the New Year

After a wonderful Christmas in Hakatere and a really fun Boxing Day in Christchurch with our new friend Rachel, we set off with Chrislyn, Rory and Nora for the seaside (ha!, all the towns are by the ocean :) town of Kaikoura. Our plan was to spot the resident sperm whales which live year-round in the Kaikoura trench just off the coast.

Our first shock came as we drove into the campground. We had been told all year that the week between Christmas and New Year was the busiest time of year for traveling, as Kiwis start their summer break. The campground had at least 400 people, with only one kitchen and with the 3 x 6 grass patches adjacent to the driveways and bathrooms jam-packed with tents. Blessedly, Chrislyn phoned ahead and we got a wonderful spot surrounded by twenty of our closest friends :)


The day before our whale watching, we all did a hike around the Kaikoura pennisula and spotted seals, baby birds, crabs and tide pools.

Rory, Chrislyn and Nora at the start of our walk


A hairy crab


Heaps of birds


Seals at play


Irridescent black kelp

After a near vertical climb up the side of a hill/cliff (the high tide was blocking our intended route) we treated ourselves to seafood chowder from a stand along the side of the road. The following day the weather was looking great from the shore and after a saftey video and a bus ride to the wharf, we were on the boat and heading out to sea.

Good whale watching weather

The weather at sea turned out to be a bit foggy with 9 foot swells, though that didn't detract from the experience of seeing three sperm whales and dozens of dusky dolphins! It did lend itself to causing a touch of sea-sickness, but luckily Chrislyn's candied ginger saved the day.

The Sperm Whale gathering air for his descent (the next 40-60 min to be spent underwater)


The excitement of it all


The dive down (flipping their tail gives them 500 horsepower to dive
and leaves a vortex of smooth water on the surface for several minutes afterward)


Our escorts for most of the morning, a pod of Dusky Dolphins (at least 25) who entertained us with wild flips, dives, and splashes near the boat

We said a teary goodbye the following day to our new best friends and made our way a little further up the east coast to free camp for the New Year. We celebrated by ourselves with hot chocolate and the wine we were gifted at our Kiwi Christmas. We tried to stay up until midnight, but fell asleep after watching a movie (one of the ten we own and have watched a dozen times this year).

The "beach" across from our camp on New Years Day


Happy New Year Everyone!