Sperm Whale off the starboard bow! And Dolphins! And a frogging great Albatross!!!
Distance: Bus, 181km, Boat, 18km
Total Distance: 6368km
Starting back on the Kiwi bus with only 2 days remaining was something of a shock. A significant number of people leave at Christchurch, and an equally significant number get on. New, young, inexperienced, people, not knowing how the buses work. As it turned out they don't know how to wash or dry their dishes either. (Old man grumbling noises)
Time to go to Kaikoura (Kai=food/eating, Koura=Crayfish) , the home of whale watching in NZ!
Boats leave every half hour and at least one sighting is virtually promised. The reason for the whales being here in such numbers is due to the deep sea trench just off shore. Here cold southerly currents meet northern warm currents and life thrives.
The Sperm Whale is the main species seen. The waters are relatively cold such that primarily males inhabit these waters. The males are larger and thus can survive comfortably at lower temperatures. Sperm whales are champions of deep sea dives, using the trench's ecosystem as their feeding grounds. They have large teeth, not combs, and eat any number of large animals such as squid and sharks (even great whites!)
Each whale dives down for around 2 hours before resurfacing. Here they are made obvious by the great sprays of water with each exhilation. They steadily bob in the water, breathing, digesting, defecating. This last for about 15 minutes before they dive again, head going down, tail giving a grand swish before slapping the water. The slap was known as The Hand of God by whalers, as it could destroy any little whaling boat sending everyone aboard to God. As the whale swims into the deep a patch of smooth water appears. This is caused by the whale's propulsion, but was believed by whalers to be a small oil slick left behind by the whales.
Sperm Whales get their name from the first whales caught having a white substance in their heads which looked like semen. It took them a little while to realise that's not where the reproductive organs are, but the name has stuck. It kind of works in other ways though-they have the largest head to body retro in the animal kingdom. They are 1/3 head, 1/3 torso & abdomen, and 1/3 tail.
The white substance in their heads is actually oil. It was harvested for years to be shipped to Europe and America for uses such as lamps. The biological purpose of the oil is uncertain. There are two theories:
1. At the surface, as the whale breathes, the oil cools becoming more solid, denser, and less boyant. This acts like a diving weight, pulling the whale down for its next dive. In the deep, once out of adequate oxygen, blood can be pumped around the oil. This heats it, creating less dense liquid which is more boyant. The whale is then able to swim more easily to the surface.
2. In the depths the whales use their echo location to find food. The oil could be used to aid sonar emission and/or detection, enabling them to see better in the dark.
We got our one whale easy enough and were joined by 2 other boats from the same fleet to watch as a creature as long as the boats and far heavier breathed. They are quite big...
Then he had enough, got hungry, and with a great slap of his tail descended.
During the rest of the ride we found bottlenose dolphins and a seal playing in amongst them, like a dog at a family gathering. The Dolphins swam around us and further off could be seen performing flips and playing games.
My favourite though was the Albatross that flew at the boat and was nearly hit, had the skipper not slammed on the brakes. Wings out, it sailed past the windows. The span was phenomenal. You can't tell when they're out on the ocean, and can't really see it from the museum models. This thing stretched out to nearly the height of the boat. The average wingspan for a Wandering Albatross is apparently 3.85m. It was huge. Like a bird with wing extensions. And it nearly got plastered against the windscreen.
Didn't even have time for a photo.
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