D64 -- Marine mammals galore

Kaikoura is a small town about 2 hours north of Christchurch. It is nestled between the coast and a mountain range. We did not plan on traveling to Kaikoura, but Elva lobbied hard for it once she read about its many opportunities for viewing marine life. The town lived up to its reputation as a haven for wild but people-friendly sea creatures. We began the day with a dolphin swim, which involves going out on a boat in the ocean to look for pods of dolphins. Once a pod is spotted, you are invited to jump in the ocean and swim with the dolphins, who are very accustomed to the presence of curious humans. After leaving the wharf we quickly spotted a large pod. The boat's captain maneuvered us so that we were in front of the moving pod, and into the sea we jumped. It was incredible. The dolphins flew by us at remarkable speed, many at distances close enough to touch them (though we were instructed not to do so). There must have been at least 50 dolphins in the pod. It only lasted a minute or two because they were traveling so fast, but it was great to float in the water as these beautiful creatures glided all around us. At one point I dove several feet below water, and as I came back up to the surface I saw a dolphin swim right over my head, probably only a foot from me. After the dolphins passed by us, we returned to the boat and cruised back in front of the pod so we could get back in the water. We did this about 4 times in all. Our guide told us that there are days when the dolphins are feeling particularly playful, and will actually stop and swim with the human onlookers. In fact, after swimming we came across several pods that were frolicking in the bay next to Kaikoura, and we sat and watched as they swam in the same area for about 20 minutes.

After returning to shore we drove over to a nearby seal colony. Unlike the other two seal

colonies that we visited, this time the seals were incredibly close – many of them were lounging right next to the parking lot, only a few feet from us. They were adorable, and reminded us of Buck, my parents' fat and lazy Lab.

Our last adventure of the day involved whale watching. We boarded another boat and headed even farther out to sea. We were able to see 2 different sperm whales, including two whales who were at the surface at the same time and right next to each other – a real rarity because sperm whales are usually loners. Of course, we could only see a very small portion of the whales, as most of their bodies were below water. But we were treated to seeing the whales dive under water, a terrific site as the entire tail appears above water before the whale descends. An unexpected bonus of the whale watching trip was the opportunity to observe several wandering albatross, which have the largest wingspan of any living bird at seven feet.

-Tom