Whales, Seals, Dolphins, Op shops and a Party!
Trip Start
Jul 17, 2010
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4
8
Trip End
Jul 24, 2010
Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand
Monday, July 19, 2010
After leaving Blenhiem we drove south along the oceanic highway towards Kaikoura. If there is a more beautiful day this year, I would pay to see it. The ocean was at its calm, beautiful best, there has not been a cloud in the sky and the southern sun has shone brightly all day.
We stopped briefly at the Ohau Seal lookout and saw dozens of Seals, both large and small playing in their natural environment on the rocks below. Out journey took us into Kaikoura where we quickly made our way to the Whale Watch headquarters for coffee and cake on the boardwalk before taking a 10 minute bus ride to the southern side of the Kaikoura Peninsula to board our Whale Watching trip.
These trips are unable to guarantee that you will see anything. After all, these are wild animals in THEIR habitat who appear only on THEIR terms – so when within 20 minutes of leaving the shore we had stumbled on 2 humpback whales wallowing on the surface, the signs were good. The sea was as calm as I am sure it will ever be. The cloudless sky had remained and the sea life was coming out to play. The Sperm Whale is the flagship of the operation and when our third gigantic tail had elegantly displayed itself, we had well and truly got our monies worth. The captain then got wind of a pod of dolphins 3 miles away and after racing to find them, followed them around as they played in the swell. This was a truly stunning experience.
We had an hour and a half for lunch in Kaikoura.
The notion of an ABBA dress up party after dinner led to a hunt for dress up clothes in Kaikoura’s bustling fashion district. The hub of the garment trade is at the rubbish dump’s recycling plant store. The store’s dreams must have come true when one student laden coach hungry for an op shop bargain poured in to find the best outfit possible. At $4 per shopping bag full it was a win-win situation!
Driving away, many hundreds of garments richer, the choir checked in to the hotel and a small group of us opted for another wildlife encounter at the tip of the Peninsula. We ventured to another Seal colony and were entertained by 2 seals who loved showing off and were more than happy for us to get up for a (very) close look. Coupled with the Whale Watching this experience has made for a fantastic day.
Dinner in a local restaurant continued the trend of outstanding meals. The Soup of the Day was followed by a choice of Lamb Shanks, Pasta or Fresh Fish and Chips and topped off with banana split or a Chocolate Sunday.
Despite the phenomenal experiences of the day – we could not say good night without mentioning (if only briefly) the ABBA party which turned into a "Who has the most heinous outfit" party. Stories of Mr Gerritsen dressing in a miniskirt and floral shirt with full makeup are to be dismissed without question.
Again – thanks for reading. We are having a fabulous time.
Comments
Enjoying reading your blog & seeing the photos but where are the photos of the whales & the Party !!!
Appreciate the blog updates...hope CB takes note of the bridge going into Hanmer Springs..