 | Day 27 Kaikoura to Okiwi Bay |
| Tags: | Travel |
| Views: 3690 |
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| Whale watch heli-flights from Kaikoura |
| The 09:54 from Christchurch to Picton arrives |
| Loads of backpackers disembark at Kaikoura |
| The Tranz Coastal is off - right on time |
| Max. speed 85kph along this line |
| Pretty smart coaching stock |
| 5 hrs 13mins Christchurch to Picton - daily |
| Mount Fyffe and Te ao Whekere in the distance |
| The Rail (Whale) way station at Kaioura |
| Hapuku headland |
| Kaikoura Peninsula |
| One of the 5 Whale Watch boats |
| Our boat Aoraki ( A Maori God) or Mt Cook |
| A glimpse of a Humpback whale |
| The Humpback is out there ! |
| A flash of wing and the Humpback is gone |
| Humpbacks are only occasional visitors |
| A Sperm whale sighted by an Albatross |
| Sperm whale up on the surface |
| Up for about six deep breaths each dive |
| About 45 seconds between breaths |
| Thar she blows |
| Sperm whale about to dive |
| Another whale watch boat |
| A bit of forward speed to keep up |
| About 50 metres away from us |
| Hidden by the swell |
| Sperm whales look so majestic |
| The back arches in preparation |
| Up comes the tail |
| The whale will dive for up to an hour |
| Depth here is around 3500 metres |
| Another sperm whale is spotted |
| A smaller one this time |
| So elegant and obviously untroubled by us |
| Tails up for the dive |
| Dive, dive, dive |
| Straight down to the bottom |
| The tail is about 10 feet out of the water |
| The spectacle is wonderful |
| He just slips away |
| All the Sperm Whales off Kaikoura are male |
| Just a ripple marks the spot |
| An albatross accompanies us |
| The wingspan is over 2 metres |
| Whale ho ! Another is sighted to starborad |
| More can be seen of this one |
| A large spout as he exhales |
| They come here to feed on squid in the deep trench |
| The sea swell is about 1.5 metres |
| The resident whales all have names |
| The whales take 5 or 6 mins to stock up on oxygen |
| Again, the back arches...... |
| One last breath |
| Head down for the off. |
| A pronounced bend of the back |
| Heading down |
| Just missed a tail slap (playful !!?) |
| and a twirl perhaps |
| and gone...... |
| The tail is about 3 metres across the tips |
| No one was disappointed today |
| Our albatross comes by again |
| They stay at sea for months on end |
| Flying within inches of the surface |
| Almost effortless using the prevailing 30 kt wind |
| Wandering the southern ocean |
| Out first sight of Dusky dolphins |
| There must be four or five hundred here |
| Always putting on a show |
| The sea was boiling with the dolphins |
| They eat at night, play and mate during the day |
| Dusky dolphin - Mother & calf |
| The guides say around 500 in this school |
| Seething with Dusky dolphins |
| Young males at play around the pack |
| They leap around 10 feet high |
| Never seen so many before |
| For each one on the surface - 5 or 6 below |
| Countless dolphins at play |
| This species is about 5 feet in length |
| The Duskies are never still |
| Leaping for Joy, or was it Jill, or Jackie ? |
| Acrobatics aren't in it |
| This is getting boring............ |
| We do tailwalking too ! |
| A lonely albatross rests |
| A little shy this one |
| This bird was about four miles off shore |
| About the size of a goose |
| The Pacific reaches toward Goose Bay |
| Okiwi Bay on 3rd March 2009 |
| The sun came out early evening at Okiwi |
| Okiwi is a very small settlement |
| Old Git gets told to pose while he's still 60 |
| An allium Chris liked |
| Twilight over Okiwi Bay |
| There are people living here - lucky them |
| The tide is out this evening |
| The campsite entrance - season almost over |
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