Kaikoura - Whales, Dolphins, and Seals (New Zealand Part 41)

From the west coast, we drove through the Lewis Pass to Kaikoura. There were significantly fewer hikes along the way compared to Arthur's Pass, but also less traffic.

After finding out that a hiking trail to a waterfall which we wanted to take was not possible without crossing a wet river, we continued driving and did a small loop through alpine vegetation.

In the evening, we arrived in Kaikoura, which is known for its whale watching tours and flights.

The next morning, we started the "Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway", which takes three hours to walk around the peninsula.

During the walk, we passed a seal colony, which we only saw from a distance because we chose the upper path with a view over the coast.

In the afternoon, we booked a boat trip for whale watching. When we arrived, it was noted that the sea was rough and we should take seasickness tablets.

Indeed, the boat was rocking heavily as we went out to sea, where a male sperm whale was present.

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales and can grow to be 15 to 20 meters long. We only saw a small part of its back.

As it dived, we saw its fluke and then continued onwards because the sperm whale would resurface about an hour later.

During the trip, we also saw a large group of dusky dolphins and common dolphins, which not only swam alongside our boat but also performed acrobatic jumps in the air.

The jumps also serve as a hunting technique to drive the fish towards other dolphins.

Dusky dolphins are also very playful and acrobatic, making the observation of the many animals very entertaining.

Finally, we went closer to the coast, where we saw some New Zealand fur seals lying on the rocks.

It's amazing how well the seals can climb even on higher rocks, even though their movements on land appear clumsy.

After so many encounters with animals, our tour ended and the next morning we continued on to Christchurch.