Much like an African safari, a holiday in Kaikoura comes with a checklist of wildlife to marvel at: dolphins, whales, seals, giant albatrosses—Annabel McAleer visits the small seaside town that’s big on adventure
Much like an African safari, a holiday in Kaikoura comes with a checklist of wildlife to marvel at: dolphins, whales, seals, giant albatrosses … Annabel McAleer visits the small seaside town that’s big on adventure
Zipped into neoprene from my head to my toes, I’m strangely buoyant as I swim towards the chattering, leaping dusky dolphins prancing around our boat. Adrenaline pumping, shocked by the cold water, I gasp through my snorkel as a sleek grey shape whizzes beneath me, then another, and another.
The dolphins glide by with disinterest—all grace, speed and power. I float lumpishly on the water’s surface, encased in layers of fabric blubber: a double-layer wetsuit, hood and booties. But wallflower behaviour just won’t do. The dolphins aren’t here to entertain us, we are here to entertain them. Sing, dive and play around enough, and they’ll play back.
I settle into a dolphin-wiggle that loops me around in circles, sing a random medley of Beatles songs through my snorkel, and am soon joined by a small crew of aquatic McCartney fans that seem to enjoy my tuneless rendition of ‘Hello Goodbye’. One of them mirrors my movements, circling below me while holding my gaze, before winking and speeding away. I may have imagined the winking part.
Only 13 people are allowed in the water at any one time, and with pod populations from 100 dolphins upwards, most swimmers make a few slippery friends. It’s an exhilarating, exhausting experience.
The chance to swim with dolphins is one of Kaikoura’s major tourist draws—my trip is with Dolphin Encounter, which caters for observers as well as swimmers—but there’s a lot more to see and do in this small seaside town, halfway between Christchurch and Picton.
One of New Zealand’s top eco-tourism destinations, Kaikoura is a relaxed two-and-a-half-hour train ride from either end of the TranzCoastal. Once you’re there, most destinations can be reached on foot. Bicycles and scooters can be hired for a small fee; there’s a shuttle taxi service, and free transfers can be had from some of the local accomodation to the town’s aptly named Whaleway Station.
You can leave your eco-worries behind, too. It’s tough to find an activity without environmental credentials coming out its ears, from the Seal Swim (a driving force behind the Plastic Bag-Free Kaikoura campaign) to the Recycled Trash Fashion Museum (displaying wearable art from recycled materials). Kaikoura was the first community in New Zealand, and second in the world, to achieve the internationally recognised Green Globe environmental benchmark, and it adopted a ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy way back in 1998.
Kaikoura’s unique geography also makes it a haven for New Zealand’s marine life. The magnificent Kaikoura Ranges encircle the town, but it’s what happens in the harbour that makes Kaikoura so special. A deep trench just a kilometre out to sea cuts over 1,000 metres into the ocean floor. Fish, shellfish and giant squid flourish in the canyon, attracting sperm whales, seals, marine birds, sharks and dolphins.
In our three-day trip, we get up close to all but the whales, which are rumoured to have been scared out of the bay by the lingering presence of a huge, noisy Sealord fishing trawler a few kilometres out to sea (the locals are frustrated, to say the least—particularly because both Whale Watch Kaikoura and Sealord are largely owned by the same organisation).
Some day-trippers are disappointed but, like all of Kaikoura’s outdoor activities, whale watching tours are entirely dependent on the weather and the wildlife. The stars of the show are free to come and go as they please—they’re not perfectly predictable, and that’s precisely what’s so special about seeing them in their natural environment. The trick to leaving town satisfied is to keep your schedule flexible and your mind open. If you’re lucky, you’ll have your pick of activities.
ECO Chic in … Kaikoura
Stay …
at Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses (www.hapukulodge.com), for the unforgettable experience of sleeping in a luxury treehouse, high above a stand of native manuka and kanuka trees. Raised ten metres above ground on steel beams, the treehouse is designed to put guests among the birds, with views to the Kaikoura Ranges on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Early in the morning, the sunrise over the Pacific turns the snow-capped ranges a soft pink, then fiery orange. At the other end of the treehouse, a rain fountain shower is encased in floor-to-ceiling windows, and a two-person spa bath beckons. Hapuku is firmly committed to local and organic food, energy efficiency and conservation. A native tree is planted for every guest night booked (12,000 trees and counting).
Eat …
at the Kaikoura Seafood BBQ, a roadside trailer serving the freshest—and cheapest—seafood in town. Known to the locals as ‘Kate’s’, the BYO open-air restaurant is hidden down Fyffe Quay near the seal colony, an easy cycle or an $8 ride in the Kaikoura Shuttle. Start with the hot, peppery, garlicky seafood chowder (just $4 a cup), then choose a crayfish—Kaikoura’s specialty—from the chilly bin (from $45; half the price of crayfish on the main street) or pick ’n’ mix your own seafood platter. It’s a simple meal, but bring a special bottle of wine because the seaside location can’t be beat. With the money you’ve saved, splash out the next night at Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses, for a decadent three-course meal (reasonably priced at $79) from locally sourced ingredients, courtesy of chef Rich Huber.
Swim …
with dolphins, of course. Kaikoura is as famous for its friendly dusky dolphins as it is for its whales, and swimming with these playful creatures is an experience you’ll never forget. Dolphin Encounter (www.dolphin.co.nz) is a family-run Kaikoura business that’s been operating for 20 years. But swimming with the fishes isn’t for everyone: the cold open ocean, breathing through a snorkel and even the dolphins themselves (they’re big, fast, wild animals, after all) can be a little freaky. For a less intimidating—and even cuter—wildlife encounter, a Seal Swim (www.sealswimkaikoura.co.nz) is another memorable experience. The seals you’ll visit live on an island in calm waters close to shore. They can be shy and territorial, so patience is required, but bob around quietly for long enough and these curious and friendly animals, a little like waterlogged dogs, might come up for a closer look.
Watch …
New Zealand’s majestic albatrosses swoop past at close range, on board an Albatross Encounter (www.encounterkaikoura.co.nz). Don’t write off bird watching before you’ve tried a tour that attracts hundreds of rare seabirds within inches of the boat as they clamour, squawk and fight for the feed the skipper trails in the water. Kaikoura has an enormous number of different types of seabirds within a small area; we saw several great albatrosses, mollymawks, petrels, shearwaters, terns, gannets, hundreds of shags … and one hungry blue shark. The shark was impressive, but nothing compares to the giant albatross, which has the largest wingspan of any bird in the world. The tour offers non-stop photo opportunities (we took over 200 snaps) as well as a fascinating insight into some of our most underrated wildlife.
