Whale Watching in Kaikoura

The highlight of our stay in Kaikoura was the whale watching tour.  The nasty weather was definitely moving in at that point, which made for gray photos, but it was still so thrilling.  Many different species of whales have been spotted in Kaikoura over the years and during the different seasons, but the most common are sperm whales.  We were interested to learn about and witness the technology behind detecting where a whale surfacing might occur.  I didn't pay attention well enough to explain it here, but it was pretty hi-tech!  It was an unforgettable experience.

Awesome experience!!

Meanwhile, back in Palmerston, our friends were having noteworthy experiences too -- we started getting texts and Facebook messages about a 6.3 earthquake that had occurred!  Gratefully, there were no serious injuries or damages.

By the time we arrived back on land in Kaikoura, it was sprinkling rain, but the dark sky loomed ominously above us.  In another 20 minutes when we reached the campground, it was pouring, and it didn't stop raining…for 15 hours straight.  We were happy to be on the South Island, but enduring cold, pounding rain on our first night, in tents, when we knew we had eleven more nights to go, was a little discouraging.  We broke camp early in the morning, stuffed our sopping wet gear into the trailer, and headed off toward Christchurch (and hopefully better weather!).