We left Wellington at a fairly ungodly hour which necessitated our alarm to be set for 5.45. The bus took us straight to the Ferry Terminal and we went on board. Because we were an organised tour, we didn't have the business of checking in and handing over our luggage in exchange for a little label. A truck came to our bus to collect all our luggage and our tour guide Ti gave us a boarding pass which we had to hand in as we entered.
The trip was much as before, but in reverse. I had a little sleep while we were crossing the Cook Straits, and woke up in time to appreciate Marlborough Sound.
The sun was shining and everything looked beautiful. We were interested to watch the enormous car ferry reverse into what looked, to us, like a very small parking bay!
Picton, where we had lunch, was beautiful in the sun, and we bought a sandwich and sat down by the harbour to eat it and appreciate the view.
Then we got into the bus for the drive to Kaikoura. It was flat at first and through vineyards, and we also passed some salt pans, which I failed to photograph properly last time.
The road climbed for a bit, and the bus negotiated steeper slopes with hairpin bends, which I failed to photograph through the window again. Then we approached the sea, and drove along a flat strip between the beach and the hills.
We passed the fur seal colonies, so we were able to stop for some photographs, though we weren't very close.
As soon as we arrived in Kaikoura, we went straight to the Albatross Experience. Ten of our group had decided to go out in a small boat to see Albatross. The boat was a Jet Boat, and was a lot smaller than I had expected. There wouldn't have been room for many more than 10 of us. When we arrived, the boat was out of the water and had been pulled up on a boat trailer by a tractor.
We were helped to climb in, and the tractor pushed the boat back into the sea, and we set off. After a few minutes, I was beginning to wonder whether, rather than paying to go and see the birds, I should have contemplated paying NOT to go and see the birds. It wasn't that the sea was rough, or that I felt sick, I just felt frightened. The boat seemed to jump from the top of one wave to the next - it does 22 knots - and rolled from side to side, and I held on like grim death. It must have taken 30 - 40 minutes or more to get into position, and then some food was put out for the birds. The first birds were small ones, which had been following us for a while - terns, shearwaters and gulls. Then the bigger ones arrived. The Giant Petrels were the biggest, a bird a bit bigger than a goose, but with a very big brutal beak.
They were very quarrelsome too, and sometimes fought each other ferociously. They would face each other and rear their bodies right up out of the water, while trying to savage each other with the huge beak. Our boat captain said they often tried to drown each other.
Then the albatross started to arrive. The Salvins Albatross came first, followed by the Royal Albatross. These are big birds, bigger than the Petrel, and rather handsome.
Eventually, the Wandering Albatross came, and it was the biggest of the lot. After that arrived, no other bird got a look in.
Its body is much bigger than a turkey's, and it has a 2 meter wing span. It wouldn't let any other bird get near the food. When other birds tried, it shouted at them loudly and clashed its beak threateningly. If the other birds didn't move fast enough, there were feathers lying on the water.
After some time watching the birds, the boat began to make its way back in again. Soon, however, we were amongst a lot of dolphins. Apparently they were dusky dolphins and they played round the boat. They seemed to like the jets, and swam under and around them. I didn't even try to photograph them, this is Paul's photo. Somebody else has a wonderful photo, so I'll try to get a copy of that.
When we started for home again, one or two kept up with us for a while, leaping along in front of the boat and doing about 18 knots. But they couldn't keep up that speed for long, and the boat can do 22 knots, so we eventually outstripped them. Just before returning to land, we took a quick trip to the rocks for a look at some more seals. They just lay on the rocks and looked back at us. The trip back to land wasn't nearly so bumpy, so I wasn't so worried. Nevertheless, I am glad that tomorrow's whale watching is in a bigger boat!
Back on land, we bought some food at the supermarket so we could have a barbecue. It was a really English experience - it was so cold, Paul and I didn't survive long, our teeth were chattering and even our knees were knocking. And it's so late we have no time for laundry and we are running out of clothes. And we have to be up at stupid o'clock again tomorrow for whale watching!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment