The next day, the ferries were operating as usual, but the whale watching boats weren’t taking the risk. I expected to have another quiet day but then I got a new roommate, Silvia, 23, from Switzerland. I took her to see the seals and there were around a dozen this time, including a fairly camera-shy pup. Then we went into town for a bit of window shopping and a drink. Silvia’s English is excellent considering she only started learning two months ago, but whenever she doesn’t know a word, like whale or pigeon, we have to mime it which is hilarious. We were joined at the hostel by Jeannine, also from Switzerland, and we spent the evening eating, drinking and chatting. Silvia decided to come with me on my journey, even though she had already paid for an extra night in Kaikoura and a bus pass.
It was a case of third time lucky for the whale watching, and eventually I got out on the boat, with around 50 other people. At first, we didn’t see anything, except a couple of albatrosses, and the sense of anticipation was immense. Then suddenly we went speeding across the waves and it was an exhilarating ride as I stood on the deck and clung onto the rails. It was so fast my eyes were watering. We approached, and got very close to, a sperm whale, the fourth largest whale in the world. It was about 18 metres long – the same length as the boat. It remained at the surface for several minutes, blowing occasionally, and then it dived down, its tail coming out of the water at the last moment. Then we went in another direction and saw a second sperm whale, and a fur seal. Finally, we came across hundreds of dusky dolphins, and they swam right up to the boat. They were very playful, and were often jumping out of the water. It was incredible and made my dolphin experience in the Bay of Islands seem pathetic in comparison.
I have updated the Kaikoura photo album, as well as the Waitomo Caves album.