Whale Watching in Kaikoura 1

Even though I had initially had strongly mixed feelings about Christchurch, I was sad to leave. That hostel was awesome with its modern style and top-notch amenities. I shall miss my spot on the bar sofa.

I left Christchurch for whale watching in Kaikōura, a small coastal town famous for its abundant marine life. Kaikōura is one of the best places in the world for whale watching due to the deep-sea Kaikōura Canyon, which creates nutrient-rich waters that attract a variety of marine species. The area is home to resident sperm whales (one of which we saw twice), as well as visiting humpback whales, blue whales, orcas, and even the occasional pilot whale.

The sperm whale we got to see is called Manu. His name comes from the Māori word for "bird," referring to the distinct shape of his tail fluke, which resembles a bird in flight. Whales are identified by the unique shape and markings of their tail fins, which makes Manu easily recognizable.

All we could actually see was about one-third of the whale above water, occasionally blowing off steam… :D And finally, when he re-emerged into the water, we watched him sink gracefully, his tail lifting into the air before disappearing beneath the surface. Apparently, that’s not always the case—sometimes, the tail stays submerged and they just disappear without pomp and circumstance.

Sperm whales get their name from the waxy substance called spermaceti found in their large heads. Early whalers mistakenly believed it was whale sperm, but it is actually used by the whale to help with buoyancy and echolocation. A single sperm whale can carry up to 1.5 tons of spermaceti in its head!

Once a sperm whale dives, it can stay underwater for up to 90 minutes before surfacing again. In our case, we had about 30 minutes to look for another whale before Manu would resurface. Unfortunately, we didn’t find another one in that short amount of time.

After our second encounter with Manu and after spotting some albatross on the water, we had a little time to spare—and ended up having a get-together with a bunch of dolphins!もっと詳しく