Kaikoura is a town situated on the East coast of New Zealand. The south island town is so pretty with picturesque views and coastal walks. Originally developed as a whaling centre, this pretty small town is now a popular tourist destination.

We checked into our motel late afternoon and walked into the town to grab some food before having an early night. We had just had a long day traveling and was looking forward to catching some sleep.

Whale watching

The next day was our whale watching trip, we were all excited (except for my mum, as she was a bit nervous about sea sickness.) Lots of companies do trips from Kaikoura as it’s a great place to spot whales. The sea floor is deep due to the nearby Hikurangi trench. This attracts sperm whales that like to dive to great depths to catch food.

The boat we were on was quite large with multiple decks. So off we went in search of some whales and whatever else we could spot. Unfortunately the weather had turned and all the other trips for the rest of the day got cancelled. The sea was so choppy, especially going against the waves, and most people on board got quite sick.

Even though the weather wasn’t on our side we still saw loads of wildlife. The guides radio in with other boats so they know where to go. Once near the whales the keep us informed as to where to look.

Hector’s dolphins can only be found off the coast of New Zealand. The Hector’s dolphin is the smallest species of dolphin. These were swimming alongside the boat and diving in and out of the water. We also spotted Fur Seals sitting on rocks and large buoys floating in the water.

The highlight of the trip were the Sperm whales. Sperm whales like to dive to great depths for up to 2 hours. So when they surface they hang around for a while before diving again. This means great opportunities to see them at the surface. And more importantly seeing the “photo shot” of the tail coming out of the water. We were lucky enough to see 2 sperm whales which was the highlight of the trip.

We were glad to be back on shore after the bad weather, had some fish and chips from a local restaurant and chatted about our day.

That night we jumped back on the train to Christchurch before our trip to the West coast of New Zealand.