Kaikoura had some of the most beautiful scenery yet!  The snowy mountain-peaked background and an almost impossibly aquamarine sea sparkling in the foreground was truly magnificent.  We had some lovely walks around town and down to a sea colony to watch them play before heading uphill to the lookout from which you can see both sides of the peninsula.  The area is best known for whale-watching, so that’s what we opted for.

We were rewarded with views of three Sperm Whales and a juvenile Humpack.  Apparently, this was much more activity that usual, so we were lucky!  The Sperm Whales spend quite a bit of time on the surface…10 minutes or so, so we were able to get a really good look at this massive creature.  The accompanying narrative by the on-board naturalist was very educational, but sad to hear the details of how many species are endangered and even more so those that have become extinct.

We also finally got look at several albatross, the largest of which was the Wandering Albatross who have been know to circle the globe in 6 days.  These bird sleep while flying, only shutting down half of their brain and relying of the other half to stay in flight!  They are master gliders and are able to just skim the surface of the ocean swells.  They have the largest wingspan of any bird at almost 12 feet!

More South Island pics here