Whales, Orcas and Albatrosses!

We wake to brilliant blue skies and warm sunshine. The seas are calm and it seems likely our trip will be on. At least the early boat has already sailed, so it’s more than hopeful. 

Post breakfast - and having  taken the recommended travel sickness tablet - we head down to check in for our Whale Watch adventure. The whole process takes longer than we’d expected, but eventually we board our bus for the transfer to the marina on the other side of the peninsula. 

You’ll remember, I’m sure, my fear of rough seas particularly in smaller boats, and while today’s sea certainly looks smooth, and the Whale Watch Kaikoura vessel is substantial enough, I’m still feeling apprehensive. 

Te Ao Mārama is spacious and comfortable on board, but we are told not to move from our seats once she picks up speed - and boy, does she move! These are incredibly powerful and stable vessels, carrying passengers quickly out to the deep sea areas as quickly as possible to maximise whale spotting opportunities. But inevitably this does mean that there’s a fair amount of movement as she hits the waves, and initially I must admit I’m feeling decidedly ill at ease. Eventually, however, I relax and let myself just ‘go with the flow’! 

We arrive in the area where a sperm whale was recently spotted, and bob around in the water for a while, all of us scanning the seas for tell-tale water spouts. There are none, but we do have some gorgeous Albatross sightings, both in flight and just floating on the sea - and in the latter case, the wonderful sight of this huge bird with its magnificent wings taking off somewhat laboriously. But there are no whales - or at least none near the surface - and we begun to wonder whether this just won’t be our day. 

Suddenly, there’s a sighting (crew members are permanently looking out and they also use sonic detection). This means the boat starts speeding through the water and as we’re all now outside in the viewing decks, we’re told to just hold on tight! I cling to the railings, keep my knees slightly bent, and just try to relax, but I must admit, I find it unnerving! 

Up ahead is that telltale fountain of spray; we’ve found our sperm whale - the most frequently seen type around Kaikoura. 11 -18 metres in length, these giants are the third largest of the world’s whales, and here we are just watching this one swimming along at the side of our boat. It’s both exciting and humbling. Then suddenly, one of the crew tells us the whale is ready to dive. As we watch, it arches its back and slips back down to the depths, fluke held high, dripping water, until it too disappears. 

Now it’s back to search for another whale; the one we’ve just seen may remain underwater for the best part of an hour. Suddenly, there’s another race across the sea, a white knuckle ride as we ride the swell. Far ahead, we can see the white spouting of another whale, gradually getting closer as we speed in its direction. Again, we watch it until it too decides it’s had enough, returning to the depths to feed. 

But there is more. A pod of orcas has been spotted so we race in to find them; another gripping ride across the sea. To be honest, I’m even more excited to see these. We’ve seen whales before in Antarctica - but admittedly nowhere near as close - but despite the frequency of orca spotting off Shetland, they always eluded us when we were there. It’s so thrilling to see those jet black fins breaking the water, the slickness of their backs arching out of the waves, and even more the glimpses of those so distinctive white markings. They move quickly in front and to the side of us, diving and surfacing, keeping us guessing where they’ll appear next, the water so clear we can see them just before they surface. It’s a juvenile pod with a matriarch, and one of them certainly does look very young. Yes, it would have been wonderful to see them breach,  but just seeing them at all is such a blessing. 

All too soon it’s time to drag ourselves away, our boat speeding back to shore. And for us, once reunited with our car, it’s time to start are belated journey north to Nelson. We pass the famous Marlborough vineyards yet again - to late now to stop for tastings, and reach our marina motel hot and tired but so thrilled the day has been so successful. We’re fortunate to find a more than adequate restaurant almost opposite, so head off quickly for a meal before returning to our balcony for coffee looking out over the boats on the still waters to the verdant hills beyond. 

At the risk of being boring, I’m finding it so hard to choose a main from my Kaikōura set. For now, I’m going with the ‘mother and child’ orca, with self-explanatory extras! 

Apologies - I’ve slipped behind with responses to your much appreciated comments after a few full-on days. I’ll be catching up tomorrow!