Dancing with the WhalesAndrew TaylorRecently I traveled to the South Island of New Zealand, and visited the award winning Whale Watch Kaikoura. I joined the crew of the whale watching boat, Uruao, to see the famous sperm whales, which live along the Kaikoura coastline.
Most of the whales in the bay have names. Uruao’s crew, have named our first sighting Droopy Flukes. Droopy is big. In fact, he is enormous. Weighing 45 tonne he is 45 years old, and measures a respectable 16 meters. Rex, our other whale spotter, quickly spots another whale basking on the surface close by. Droopy’s companion is somewhat smaller; the pair look impressive swimming together. With the beautiful, Seaward Kaikoura Mountains spreading out before us, the experience is magical. They say, you never forget your first whale sighting. I now see why. It is a combination of heart pumping adrenaline and the spectacular.
It is difficult to comprehend the vast size of these ocean giants when you first approach. Whales are like icebergs two thirds of there mass is under water. Gently the two whales glide through the water, oxygenating their blood before their next dives. Sperm whales spend at least twenty minutes on the surface between each dive, and they can stay submerged for about two hours at a time.
A pod of Orca killer whales has been in the bay, the day I visit the Kaikoura Whale Watch Center. Orcas are not killer whales but whale killers. The words have been switched around causing a little confusion. However, the sperm whales of Kaikoura certainly know the difference.
Orcas are in fact the largest members of the Dolphin family. Rex explains that Droopy and his friend are rarely seen this close together. Today they have come together for protection, and we are lucky to see them like this Clearly, Droopy is the boss around here.
With an arch of his back, the smaller whale dives. He does an unbelievable headstand raising his giant fluke clear out of the water. A minute later Droopy follows. It is now easy to see how Droopy gets his name; his massive fluke has a pronounced droop.
Captain James Cook was the first European to visit this stunning coast. Sent out from England to find the great southern continent, he arrived here in February of 1770. In Cook’s time, the Kaikoura coastal margin teemed with aquatic life. It was then inhabited by a large variety of whale species, including southern right, humpbacks, minke, sei, fin, blue, and sperm whales. All have now been sadly hunted to near extinction.
Whalers were the next Europeans to arrive here. From about 1827 onwards, these rough and ready men established many whaling stations in the South Island. Robert Fyfe built the first shore based station at Kaikoura in1843; although there were other stations along this coast, Fyfe’s whaling operation was the most successful and notorious.
Today, whale watching has replaced whaling as Kaikoura’s big money-earner. Last year, 50,000 tourists saw the whales on Whale Watch Kaikoura’s three, 40 seater boats. The company has won numerous eco- tourism awards including the prestigious “ Tourism for Tomorrow” Award, presented by British Airways, and the British Tourism Authority. Whale Watch is owned, and operated by the Te Runanga o Kaikoura Maori Trust Board, and employs 50 people in the peak of the summer season.
The next whale Tai finds has been named Young Nick. He gets his name from a small nick in one of his fins, and of course, he is young, only 21 years old. We find him sleeping on the surface. New Zealand’s maritime regulations prohibit the close watching of sleeping whales so we keep our distance. When asleep, whales slow their breathing, which alters the rate they expel air from their blowholes. This makes it easy for the crew to identify a sleeping whale. At least it is easy when you know how, Rex tells us.
Sea life has always been abundant along the Kaikoura coastline. Two kilometers from shore, the continental shelf plunges to a depth of over 2000 meters. At such depths, there is a merging of the cold Antarctic, and warm Pacific Sea currents. This causes an up welling of nutrients, which starts a complex food chain. This phenomenon produces a profusion of marine bio-diversity.
The National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institute are researching Kaikoura’s unique eco-systems. They are attempting to film the whales feeding on giant squid, by strapping cameras to the whale’s backs.
Tai says, Lester has located more whales further out to sea. Heading for the open ocean, the waves get even bigger. Lester piles on the speed, taking us into as a low altitude orbit. Tai fills in time with his Doctoral thesis on “Sperma Docile Capsules” Mean while, down in the sail lockers I try hard to hang on to my camera gear as Uruao slams into wave after wave. The wave slamming causes a German companion to use an expletive that definitely has naval origins. Nevertheless, Tai and Lester continued on, Lester with more speed, Tai with more whale information, this time “Whale Intestinal Strangulation”. A ride like this in a theme park would cost mega bucks!
After being thrown about in the bowels of Uruao, I can now understand why old-time whalers compared the chaos of a whale harpooning to an out of control sleighride. Not all the Whale Watch tours are this rough; I was lucky to be on the daily backpackers special. Whale Watch cater for all age groups, all you have to do is ask.
Relief came as Freckles came into view and, Lester brought Uruao out of her orbit. A frequent visitor to Kaikoura, Freckles has been coming here for five years. He gets his name from the large spots on his fluke.
We spend 20 minutes with Freckles before he heads for the deep. It is possible to get some idea of the vast size of his immense body, as large waves dip and rise around him in the heavy swell. His grey skin stands out against the cold blue of the surrounding ocean. Uruao bobs and rolls beside Freckles as we cruise along. The experience reminded me of a nautical version of a line dance.
The rest of the afternoon is spent hopping across the white caps viewing more whales. We are able to see ten whales close up, although, the Whale Watch average is three. On the way, home we also see a few fur seals playing around the seaweed beds, and a small pod of bottlenose dolphins.
Whales occupy a special place in the unique ocean habitat of Kaikoura. A sereneness and tranquility surrounds their lives, making whale watching an extraordinary eco-tourism adventure, which I will never forget.
Adventures you can enjoy in the Kaikoura area.
Whale watching
Whale Watch Kaikoura New Zealand’s ultimate marine adventure. The Whaleway Station P.O. Box 89 Kaikoura, New Zealand. Ours last four hours. Costs Adults $NZ95.
Wings over Whales. Email w.o.w.@xtra.co.nz
Kaikoura Helicopters Fax (New Zealand) 64 3 3195955
Seal swimming. Book at the Kaikoura Visitor Center. There are several companies offering this experience.
To swim with the Dolphins
Dolphin Encounter Ltd. Cost to swim Adults $NZ80 under 15 $NZ65 Cost to watch Adults $NZ45 under 15 $NZ38
Wildlife Eco Tours http://www.kiwidex.com/seadvent Email nzsa@southern.co.nz Getting thereFrom Wellington take the InterIslander ferry to Picton. As an added bonus, you can enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery of Queen Charlotte sound. Once at Picton take the Coastal Pacific train to Kaikoura. The coastal scenery is superb! From Christchurch, hire a car, or book on one of the many bus tours. Better still; catch the Coastal Pacific on its return run to Kaikoura and Picton. All details can be obtained from the Christchurch Information center. Booking ahead is recommended. $1US =$NZ.54c.Which makes New Zealand a very cheap travel destination. |
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All was going well until Tai, yells; “Thar she blows, we’ve got one!” Instantly, chains rattle engines roar, crew, and passengers scatter. Anybody looking on would think we had just harpooned Mobby Dick. The commotion continues- somebody yells something about life jackets, and stay in your seat (if you made it to your seat). Uruao creaks and groans as the diesel engines propel her into life. Moments latter we are racing across the water, bouncing over the white caps, thumping hard into bigger waves. We seem to be flying across Kaikoura’s South Bay as our first whale comes into sight. Timing is everything in the whale watching game! 
Watching a whale dive is simply awesome. It is the fluke's vast size, which grabs your attention, and then the silent way it slides down into the water. There was a genuine sense of loss when both the whales disappear. 
Forty tourists watch and photograph the sleeping whale, while Lester, our Captain, uses a hydrophone to locate other submerged whales by listening for their sonar clicks. Lester is an expert in the use of the hydrophone. On his last trip, he managed to locate two whales preparing to surface. One whale surfaced only two meters from the boat. This gave everybody one hell of a fright. However, demonstrates how accepting the whales are becoming of the whale watch boats.