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Jackman Travels
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Location Date Europe 1322524800 Africa 1322352000 Asia 1268179200 Oceania 
1263686400 South America 1258934400 -
Location Date New Zealand
1263686400 New South Wales 1262044800 -
Location Date Christchurch 1263686400 Aoraki/mount Cook 1263600000 Queenstown 1263427200 Fox Glacier 1263168000 Nelson 1262908800 Picton 1262822400 Kaikoura
1262649600 Taupo 1260144000 Napier 1259971200 Rotorua 1259798400 Whitianga 1259625600 Paihia 1259366400 Auckland 1259193600
We saw whales!!! Three sperm whales in fact. Kaikoura is famed as a whale-watching location as they come very close to land so we just need to get on a jet boat for about 10 minutes to get to the area where we might spot them, above an underwater canyon. Apparently, spotting one is good, two is lucky and three is great. Seeing them is a great experience - we pulled alongside the majestic beasts (one at a time), and stayed there watching it blow air and swim along, before it took its last breath, kicked its tail up and dived under again. Humbling to see something quite so massive.
Great spermwhale facts:
- they come to the surface to breath, feed and to poo - they cannot to the latter at the seabed as the pressure is too great.
- we saw male adolescents ("only" 16 metres long) as the females don't come here because the water is too cold for them - they stay up in the warmth near the Galapagos. Sensible ladies.
- when whalers first killed one of these animals, they cut open its head and a load of fluid came out. Rather than thinking "that's a lot of oil", they thought "Oh, that must be its sperm. In its head." and so it was thus named.
- the base for the company that runs these tours is next to the town's railway station. So it is, of course, called the Whaleway Station. Oof.
And on the way back to shore, we found a pod of dolphins who played alongside the boat for a while. Yeah, the whale watching trip (http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/) isn't cheap, but it is well, well worth it.
On the way back to town, we stopped off to try the local delicacy of crayfish. Now, this isn't like what the Brits call crayfish, these are big things like lobsters. Unfortunately, a whole one costs about $75 so we tried a 'crayfish fritter' - basically a small omelette with bits of crayfish in, rather surprisingly served on cheap sliced bread. We also indulged in some garlic mussels on the side - Kiwi mussels are massive, far, far bigger than those in Europe. That should keep us going until dinner (it was 5pm).
We also went for a great walk along the shore through a seal colony (you can just wander through the rocks where all the fur seals live) and back along the cliff-top route with exceptional views along the shore and inland.
The hostel, Adelphi, is very well priced, has a good kitchen, is bang in the middle of town, gives away free fresh vegetable soup every evening, has a nice atmosphere and the rooms are okay.
Great spermwhale facts:
- they come to the surface to breath, feed and to poo - they cannot to the latter at the seabed as the pressure is too great.
- we saw male adolescents ("only" 16 metres long) as the females don't come here because the water is too cold for them - they stay up in the warmth near the Galapagos. Sensible ladies.
- when whalers first killed one of these animals, they cut open its head and a load of fluid came out. Rather than thinking "that's a lot of oil", they thought "Oh, that must be its sperm. In its head." and so it was thus named.
- the base for the company that runs these tours is next to the town's railway station. So it is, of course, called the Whaleway Station. Oof.
And on the way back to shore, we found a pod of dolphins who played alongside the boat for a while. Yeah, the whale watching trip (http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/) isn't cheap, but it is well, well worth it.
On the way back to town, we stopped off to try the local delicacy of crayfish. Now, this isn't like what the Brits call crayfish, these are big things like lobsters. Unfortunately, a whole one costs about $75 so we tried a 'crayfish fritter' - basically a small omelette with bits of crayfish in, rather surprisingly served on cheap sliced bread. We also indulged in some garlic mussels on the side - Kiwi mussels are massive, far, far bigger than those in Europe. That should keep us going until dinner (it was 5pm).
We also went for a great walk along the shore through a seal colony (you can just wander through the rocks where all the fur seals live) and back along the cliff-top route with exceptional views along the shore and inland.
The hostel, Adelphi, is very well priced, has a good kitchen, is bang in the middle of town, gives away free fresh vegetable soup every evening, has a nice atmosphere and the rooms are okay.
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