Kaikoura is an amazing little town in New Zealand which kept me there longer than I should have stayed. The reason I spent longer here than many other places was that it is a beautiful area that has a number of natural attractions, such as mountains and a deep undersea canyon, resulting in a huge range of activities.

Kaikoura is half way between Christchurch and Picton on the East coast of New Zealand’s South Island. With snow-capped mountains behind and the ocean in front it offers a unique sight and a huge range of activities.

In Kaikoura you can go diving or snorkeling, cave tours, fishing, hiking, bird watching, quad bike tours, golfing and even visit a winery. The huge range of activities depends on the time of year but the most enjoyable cold wet fun I had in Kaikoura was when I went whale and dolphin watching, unfortunately it was far too cold for me to have a swim with them but I hope that I can return to do this.

Kaikoura enjoys waters that are rich with seafood which means that there is great fishing here and this attracts more than just humans. Throughout the year you can see whales and dolphins off the coast and there are a lot of species that visit these waters. Sperm whales are ever present, but you can also see flukes, Orcas, pilot whales, blue whales, dusky dolphins and possibly even Hectors dolphins amongst other types of sea life.

There are a number of ways to see the whales; you can go on a private plane, helicopter and of course the more standard boat. I was somewhat financially restricted so I chose to go by boat and was a little apprehensive that either the trip would be cancelled or that we might not actually see anything. During winter and spring, trips stand a much higher chance of being cancelled so it is a good idea to book in advance and check the weather conditions, also to try to do this early into your visit so that you get the chance to do it at least once before you move on. I used whale watch Kaikoura and had a great time. We saw three whales, two of them gigantic sperm whales and one blue whale which was enormous, I never thought I would be lucky enough to see the largest living mammal in the world. We also had a really playful pod of dusky dolphins who entertained us for a time doing jumps and flips in the air as well as seeing a number of beautiful seabirds. The whole trip lasted about 2.5 hours in which we also saw educational films on the boat and the crew were all extremely knowledgeable. I spent quite a lot of time on the deck watching the whales, dolphins and birds and sadly discovered that my water proof jacket actually wasn’t that water proof but it was definitely worth it.

If you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful town and aren’t afraid of a little cold wet fun then I highly recommend seeing the whales as it was one of the highlights of my trip to New Zealand.