Kaikǒra
Dolphin Watching
Dolphin Watching
After taking breakfast at our hotel we
literally walked across the street to the Encounter Kaikǒura
building. They offer boat trips to view the dusky dolphins
that live in the nutrient rich waters off Kaikǒura. There are
two types of experiences--watching dolphins from the deck of
their boats, or donning wetsuits and snorkels to swim with the
dolphins. After testing the water temperature when we arrived
yesterday, we decided their was no wet suit warm enough to
entice us into the water. Our encounters with the dusky
dolphins would be from the windy, but relatively warm
environment of the boat deck. We stood outside the Encounter
Kaikōura's building for about 30 minutes, waiting for all the
tour guests to arrive. Although we were bathed in sunlight,
the wind made it nippy and 
we reinforced ourselves with tea and
coffee. Next, we were letd into the "Exploration Center" in
the building to watch a video about the dolphin encounters
while the dolphin encounter people suited up. From there it
was a short ride to our bus. Once on the boat, we headed to
the location of the last known sightings of the dolphins. The
wind and the speed of the boat did cause more than a few of
the guests some serious seasickness. Once we had visual
contact with the dolphins, the swimmers suited up and entered
the water. The idea was to make noise in hopes of attracting
the dolphins, who appeared to be standoffish that day, making
us doubly glad we did not take the frigid plunge. We spent the
morning watching the dolphins cavort around the boat--they
truly seem to enjoy showing off! After that it was back into
town to enjoy a second crayfish meal, with the remainder of
the afternoon was left to enjoy the sights. Below is a video
of the swimming with the dolphins encounter by Dolphin
Encounter and a photo gallery of our aquatic friends
showing off.Swimming With the Dolphins
| Dolphin
Watching Gallery (click on photo to enlarge) |
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An Afternoon in Kaikǒura
Following our dolphin encounter, there was about 4 1/2 hours before catching the Coastal Pacific from Kaikǒra to Christchurch, our last stop on the tour. Below is one of the attractions on the way to the train station.
The Fyffe House
is the only remnant from the
whaling industry. The oldest part
of the building, the
single-storied wing, was built by
Robert Fyffe for the cooper who
made the barrels to store the
whale oil. The
cottage
was
quite
literally
built upon
whaling--its
foundation
consists of
whale
vertebrae. It
provides
visitors a rare
opportunity to feel
the small-roomed
confines of a
whaler's cottage,
touch whale bones
and baleen, and even
smell the fragrant
aroma of whale oil.
It houses a museum dedicated to
whaling.
Exhibits
of Cooper's wing of the
Fyffe House are shown
below. as well as a
brief YouTube video from
Chris
Martin
Touring.Video of Fyffe House
by Chris Martin Touring
| The
Fyffe
House Museum (click on photo to enlarge) |
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| Traces of the
Past Exhibit |
Cooper
Cottage Room Diorama |
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| Shore Whaling
Exhibit |
Cooper's
Workshop |
Boarding the Coastal Pacific for
Christchurch
Around 4 pm we finished
our lunch and sightseeing and headed to the Kaikǒura train
station. It is about a 10 minute walk from downtown, on
the same road as the Fyffe House, but in the opposite
direction. As we were early for the train, we had an
opportunity to take one last stroll on the Kaikǒura beach.
Then we boarded the Pacific Explorer for one last ride and
one last sumptuous meal, arriving at our final destination
of Christchurch around 7:30.
Fable Hotel: The End of the Line
There was a certain
symmetry to our hotel experience in New Zealand--we began
with a Fable Hotel (Auckland) and we spent our final
nights in a Fable Hotel (Christchurch). Although it did
not have the classical interior of its Auckland cousin,
the hotel and the rooms had a sleek, modern decor, and a
comfortable place to stay before touring Wellington and
then flying home.
Around 4 pm we finished
our lunch and sightseeing and headed to the Kaikǒura train
station. It is about a 10 minute walk from downtown, on
the same road as the Fyffe House, but in the opposite
direction. As we were early for the train, we had an
opportunity to take one last stroll on the Kaikǒura beach.
Then we boarded the Pacific Explorer for one last ride and
one last sumptuous meal, arriving at our final destination
of Christchurch around 7:30.Fable Hotel: The End of the Line
There was a certain
symmetry to our hotel experience in New Zealand--we began
with a Fable Hotel (Auckland) and we spent our final
nights in a Fable Hotel (Christchurch). Although it did
not have the classical interior of its Auckland cousin,
the hotel and the rooms had a sleek, modern decor, and a
comfortable place to stay before touring Wellington and
then flying home.
