Kaikōura Whale 🐳 Watch

Hello my dears and welcome back!

I have now been working as a tour guide for the second week and it seems like I'm doing a good job because I received a tip twice this week. And the visitors give me good feedback. Of course, you should come by sometime so you can judge for yourself. ;) Also, this week my colleagues and I had a really cool game night and a quiz night at the pub.

When I received the message that I would be working as a tour guide in Hobbiton, I was sitting in the waiting area for a whale-watching tour and chatting with a nice Dutchman. After a short conversation with the recruitment, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. This was not only because my planning worked out and I can now work on the North Island during the winter months, but also because I am now, in a broader sense, an employee of Peter Jackson. However, the rest of the day was equally amazing because during the whale-watching tour we saw 3 sperm whales, dusky dolphins, Hector's dolphins, some seals, and a variety of seabirds.

The journey started at around half past 12 and we went from Kaikoura to the catamaran's mooring area nearby - so before the boat trip there was another boat trip.

Just off the coast of Kaikoura, there is a very deep trench in the middle of the sea, created by tectonic plate movements in New Zealand. Since this trench is so deep, it is the perfect hunting ground for sperm whales, as they like to eat squid, octopus, and sharks. I saw one of these giant squids in the museum in Wellington and I never want to come into contact with one - it's really creepy! But since I will never dive deeper than 50 meters, it's not really a problem because they usually live between 3000 and 2000 meters deep. Sperm whales can hold their breath for up to 2 hours and dive to that depth. Incredibly cool!

So we sailed along the coast with the catamaran and searched for these giants near the trench. A sperm whale can grow up to 20 meters long and weigh 55 tons.

While we were waiting, a family of dusky dolphins visited us and a few albatrosses said hello. And then it finally happened and I saw my first whale!

It was especially cool that after the sighting, the boat showed which whale we had just seen. The tours are not only for tourist purposes but are also used for scientific purposes.

After the first whale, we continued along the coast and there we also saw a family of Hector's dolphins. They were in a particularly good mood and performed some extravagant jumps. It's just amazing to admire these creatures.

As we continued our journey, we were able to observe a seal while it was eating. The water birds were, of course, also there, waiting for a chance to get some of the prey.

On the way back, we saw two more whales at the surface and we were lucky enough to see them from a closer distance. In the following picture, you can see the comparison between a fully grown sperm whale and our boat.

After this sighting of Holy Moly, we went back to land and after 3 hours on the water, I was looking forward to a little snack on land. The seal inspired me a bit for the snack and I treated myself to some fish & chips in the middle of the city. And I have to say that they were the most delicious fish & chips I have had in New Zealand so far. Super tasty and wonderfully crispy!

And on my way home, I came across a small mobile coffee and ice cream shop and of course, I couldn't resist celebrating this incredibly cool day with a delicious ice cream. It was plum and mascarpone ice cream! And the ice cream was also the tastiest so far! This day was just perfect in every way!

After the ice cream, I quickly returned to the campsite and then went to bed because I was pretty tired after all the fresh air. I have chosen a short hike for the next day and then continued north.

I hope the day you are reading this post is equally perfect, and I'm sending you a big hug!

Your Britta