A Sperm Whale dives off the coast of Kaikoura

While I was in Queenstown in May, I put together a list of things I wanted to do while in New Zealand. Up until that point Id kind of been coasting along, taking experiences as they came to me. I realized Id been here almost 6 months, yet hadn’t done a great number of things. So the list was born (actually, it was born on the back of an envelope while out drinking 2-for-1 beers with my hostel mates and my friend Dorian, and entitled “Kelly’s List of Highly Improbable Things To Do While In New Zealand”.)

Somewhere near the top was “go whale watching in Kaikoura”, and since I was tired of travelling alone, I invited a bunch of CouchSurfers to come with me. This past Saturday we convoyed up Highway 1 from Christchurch and spent the weekend in the coastal town of Kaikoura. World renowned for it’s whale watching and dolphin encounter activities, we figured we’d be in for a real treat by going on the whale watching cruise from there.

My travelling companions, on the beach in Kaikoura

When I first began making noises about going whale watching, people warned me about the sea sickness. When I checked in at the hostel, I was told to sit at the back of the boat when they learned of my marine outting. When I paid my $140.00 to the nice lady at Whale Watch Kaikoura, she told me there was a strong seasickness warning, was I ok with this? Yikes. What was I getting myself into??

Almost immediately after taking seat on the boat, my stomach began rolling. The boat is actually a catamaran, which puts you pretty low down in the water. The ocean had been pretty rough and choppy the day before, bad enough that all the cruises had been cancelled. The day I went it was better, but not by much. I was so excited to see the whales before we’d left the shore, but within 15 minutes of being on the water I was anxious to get back on terra firma. I didnt lose the plot (although many, many of the others on board did), but I was very shakey and uncomfortable, unable to enjoy the experience Id paid good money to have.

Most of the time I focused on the horizon to try and trick my brain into thinking I was on solid ground.

That said, the wildlife was pretty great. We found four sperm whales, a small pod of dolphins and a few albatross. Dont be fooled by the promotional videos of leaping masses of dolphins and playful whales — or rather, count yourself lucky and blessed if that is your experience. It was pretty amazing watching the whales dive, and although I was hanging onto the boat (and my stomach) for dear life, I was thrilled to see their flukes rise up into the air.

Although the reason we went to Kaikoura was to see the whales, the absolute highlight of our trip was the New Zealand Fur Seal nursery that a local tipped us off to. Ohau Point is about a thirty minute drive north of Kaikoura, with Ohao Stream Walk another 100 or so meters still. At the end of the forested walk there is a beautiful waterfall, where, if you are there at the right time of year, dozens of baby fur seals can be found frolicking and playing. Simply unbelievable. It was the single most amazing experience Ive had in New Zealand (maybe anywhere)!

Ohau Waterfall: those aren

Completely off the beaten path, and not in any guidebook, I dont think the Department of Conservation will be able to leave this area unbarracaded for much longer, as people were allowing the children to step onto the stones and touch the baby seals. Not only is this horrible for the animals (wild animals, especially babies, should never be touched lest they become to human contact… which kind of negates the point of their being wild), but it could be disastrous for the children. The ones we saw were about 4-6 years of age and moving about on slippery wet rocks. One mistep and they could be seriously hurt. Also, seals have rather long teeth and are notorious biters. It would be horrible if a mother seal took offence at a young child’s friendly attempts because its own mother was too daft to keep her kid on solid ground and its fingers to itself!

A baby seal at Ohau Waterfall

*wheeeeee!*

Kaikoura has SO many seals its not funny. After seeing low numbers on the boat trip, it was astonishing to see literally hundreds of seals lolling about on the ocean coastline. As we drove home to Christchurch that night, we even saw a massive fellow sitting on the side of the road! Apparently at high tide they’re known to come up off of the beach, and that drivers should take extra care on the roads not to run them over.

New Zealand Fur Seal at Ohau Point

So although the whale watching exursion was a bit of a disappointment, the weekend overall was fantastic. I had a great time with the guys (it was me, a girl named Kim who we didnt see much of, and 5 fellas). In addition to the seal and whales, I watched my first All Blacks game in a pub in town (“we” won!), slept in a really cozy hostel, bought a nice new hoodie and took a lot of great pictures. Next week Im off to Hanmer Springs and Maruia Springs with a friend from work and his girlfriend, so yeah, more stories to come soon!

Ohau baby fur seal nursery from Kelly Knights on Vimeo.

See the rest of my Kaikoura photos here.

Possibly related posts:

1. Kaikoura