Big Trip

Managed to squeeze in on a whale watching cruise this morning (for which Kaikoura is well known). They go from the whaleway station, of course. Picked another fantastic day for it - clear blue skies with only a little cloud, as usual, and ncie and calm. Kaikoura has a particular coastal geography where the continental shelf is very close to the coast, and forms a deep gorge. A warm current flows into the gorge, causing krill and other yumy things to rise to the surface, which makes whales want to hang out there & chill. We were lucky enough to spot three of the resident sperm whales there, just resting on the surface. The sightings were all separate, and we actually saw one of them twice, and they all obliged us by hanging around blowing water into the air and then diving, leaving us with the classic view of their tail flukes in the air before they disappeared. We weren't as lucky as the people cruising the previous day, who got to see a pod of orcas on their way through as well as the resident sperm whales, but it was quite an experience nonetheless. We did see a few hector's dolphins around the bays, and some fur seals in local colonies, but nothing to cause any great excitement, as we're all pretty blase about seals & dolphins these days :-)