We made an early start this morning. Rashly, we had booked a whale watching trip. This meant a 7.15am start and from the front at Kaikoura they ferried us by bus to South Bay marina. The boats they use are catamarans and use jet units which allows them to accelerate very quickly up to around 30 knots but to slow down in a couple of boat lengths – highly maneuverable. However, as we discovered, it also means they roll like a pig in a sea and … there was quite a sea. They move rapidly to known locations and then they use hydrophones to listen out for the noises made by the sperm whales.
Sperm whales produce one of the loudest noises in the animal kingdom. We hear it as a series of rhythmic clicks, but they can adapt the clicks for different purposes. It amounts to one of the most sophisticated sonar systems used by any animal. Sperm whales use this sound to hunt, navigate, communicate and they can also use it as a weapon to stun or kill their prey! They also have the largest brain of any animal.
Unfortunately the sea was perhaps worse than they anticipated and we were rolling all over the place. This meant that well over half the passengers were seasick and with Anne not feeling well at all, the trip was not a great success … possibly an understatement given that after three stops they couldn’t find any whales! However, as a result we did get an 80% refund – a generous gesture.
So, after recovering a bit, we headed north to Nelson. It was a beautiful drive and took us through the Malborough Valley – the largest wine-growing region in New Zealand. In fact about 77% of New Zealand’s wine is produced here. We stopped at the Cloudy Bay winery and bought a couple of bottles (after tasting obviously!).
From Blenheim we drove on to Nelson – to Tom and Vicky’s. We had a lovely afternoon walk round their house and down to a Japanese garden. It was slightly weird to see the cherry trees out in blossom at this time of year – reminding us that it is spring here.
