Whale Tales

This is not a great picture, but I thought you might like to see the tail of Tiaki, the whale we saw on the whale-watch in Kaikoura.

The real news, as far as we are concerned, is that our kids--daughters Anna and Claire from NC and Emily and son-in-law Paul from Texas-- are visiting for Christmas. We've been having fun, in spite of the cold and windy weather.  Probably the highlight of the first few days came when we spotted a pod of orcas in the harbor.  I was too stunned to get out my camera in time for that event.  We saw tall black fins--probably six of them in all.  Enough to make you think twice about going for a swim out there.

After a few wet and windy days in Wellington, we were off to the South Island. Took the ferry to Picton, then drove our rented van to Kaikoura.  Koura are the giant crayfish, which are lobster-size.  Here's a picture of Emily eating one on the beach.  Stormy weather thwarted our whale-watching on Saturday, so we consoled ourselves with a visit to a beautiful lavender farm, a sheep shearing, and a visit to a Marlborough winery or two.

On Sunday the weather was supposed to be better, but it was still raining.  We hiked up (!) a misty mountain, then took our dramamine, drank our ginger beer and committed ourselves to a rough ride in spite of the posted warning:  High swells, high risk for seasickness.  The powerful catamaran pushed through the waves.  It was a rocking ride.  We saw many sea birds, including a number of albatross and the western petrel.  Now and then we would stop, and the captain would put down a scope to listen for a whale.  Fortunately, there were also educational videos about the sea life and whales in particular, which distracted us from the sights and sounds of those who had apparently not heeded the memo and did not take their motion sickness meds.  We learned about the kinds of whales we might see and about their movements.  Apparently, whales are drawn to the coast around Kaikoura because of a deep sea trench, like a canyon, where all of the things they like to eat, including giant squid, hang out.  We learned about how their bodies are compressed in deep water so that they must return to the surface to re-oxygenate and digest their food.  We learned about theories as to how the oil in the sperm whale's head may amplify its echo-location.  Then finally, we saw him:  the sperm whale Tiaki, in the distance and sped that way.  The guide said the whales are recognizable by their tail flukes.  Tiaki is middle-aged, around 40, so he and the whale-watchers are pretty well acquainted.  Captain Rick and the guides still seemed enthusiastic though, and for us, it was thrilling.  We headed back past the seal colony and returned to Kaikoura a little before dark.

Then it was back to Picton for the night, with an early morning sail on the Aratere.  It was probably the first time our kids had seen the sun in Wellington.  It's sparkly and stunning.  The red pohutakawa blossoms are out in force.  Doesn't seem much like Christmas at all.  It seems like a long time since we've been at home.  We miss family and friends and the usual Christmas customs.  Anna and I went down to the waterfront celebration near the big Christmas tree in hopes of singing some carols in the rain.  They were singing about Snoopy and the Red Baron.  Grown men were dressed as sheep.  Doughnuts and snow cones on offer.  As a result, I have had to download the King James version of the Bible onto my Kindle so that we can read the Christmas story.  Still glad Jesus was born and happy to have family near.  Merry Christmas everyone!