Whale watching in Kaikoura
When I left Wellington I headed south for Kaikoura which, for me, is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The snow-capped mountains around the bay and the ocean that never seems to be out of view have a calming effect guaranteed to cure the worst cases of stress.
I walked, went rock-pooling, sat around just looking at the sea, tripped over the occasional seal and - on one cold afternoon - went to the tiny local art-deco cinema that holds about 30 people and watched Pride. There were only four people in the audience, but it didn't matter.
Most people in Kaikoura want to interact with the wild-life, either the seals on the shore or the whales that feed in the deep ocean trenches just off shore. I went out on the whale boat with my grandchildren, but I've become increasingly uneasy about the whole process. We were one of two boats tracking the whales, plus a helicopter and a spotter plane. What does this do to these animals?
Using hydrophones to find the whalesYou don't have to go out on the whale boats to see the sea-life; you just have to get lucky. When we were standing on the wharf in Kaikoura bay before leaving, a humpback whale suddenly heaved itself up out of the water, rolling lazily around - a whale we didn't have to pay to see. One who didn't stay to be photographed!
Kaikoura is a town built on whale bone - literally. One of the oldest buildings, built by George Fyffe - a whaler and one of the original settlers - is built on whales' vertebrae. The fences were also built of whale bone.
A whale's vertebra in the foundations.
The old whale-bone fencesNow the town makes a living from eco-tourism. People come from all over the world to swim with dolphins and get within shouting distance of a whale.
New Zealand goes to great lengths to preserve its pristine environment (biological customs at the airport is an experience!), but it's not immune to what is happening in the world due to climate change. On the road we passed long acres of dead and dying trees - not a natural phenomenon. And, further south, we stopped for lunch at St Anne's Lagoon, where there were huge notices warning of toxic algae. We were not to go anywhere near the water or handle anything that had been in it.
The road from Blenheim to KaikouraI'm now back in Lincoln (on the Canterbury plain not far from Christchurch) and time is running out before I have to go back to the UK and I haven't done half the things I intended to do when I came here. But it doesn't matter. Sometimes you just have to sit back and let time flow.
The snow-capped mountains around the bay and the ocean that never seems to be out of view have a calming effect guaranteed to cure the worst cases of stress.
I walked, went rock-pooling, sat around just looking at the sea, tripped over the occasional seal and - on one cold afternoon - went to the tiny local art-deco cinema that holds about 30 people and watched Pride. There were only four people in the audience, but it didn't matter.
Most people in Kaikoura want to interact with the wild-life, either the seals on the shore or the whales that feed in the deep ocean trenches just off shore. I went out on the whale boat with my grandchildren, but I've become increasingly uneasy about the whole process. We were one of two boats tracking the whales, plus a helicopter and a spotter plane. What does this do to these animals?
Using hydrophones to find the whalesYou don't have to go out on the whale boats to see the sea-life; you just have to get lucky. When we were standing on the wharf in Kaikoura bay before leaving, a humpback whale suddenly heaved itself up out of the water, rolling lazily around - a whale we didn't have to pay to see. One who didn't stay to be photographed!Kaikoura is a town built on whale bone - literally. One of the oldest buildings, built by George Fyffe - a whaler and one of the original settlers - is built on whales' vertebrae. The fences were also built of whale bone.
A whale's vertebra in the foundations.
The old whale-bone fencesNow the town makes a living from eco-tourism. People come from all over the world to swim with dolphins and get within shouting distance of a whale.New Zealand goes to great lengths to preserve its pristine environment (biological customs at the airport is an experience!), but it's not immune to what is happening in the world due to climate change. On the road we passed long acres of dead and dying trees - not a natural phenomenon. And, further south, we stopped for lunch at St Anne's Lagoon, where there were huge notices warning of toxic algae. We were not to go anywhere near the water or handle anything that had been in it.
The road from Blenheim to KaikouraI'm now back in Lincoln (on the Canterbury plain not far from Christchurch) and time is running out before I have to go back to the UK and I haven't done half the things I intended to do when I came here. But it doesn't matter. Sometimes you just have to sit back and let time flow.
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