Whale watching

You can spot whales in the North Island, but it's Kaikoura in the South that is the main centre for whale watching in New Zealand. Located on the east coast of the South Island, Kaikoura is one of the only places in the world where you can easily spot sperm whales. Sperm whales—the largest of the toothed whales—grow to over 15 m in length, and dive deep into the ocean to feed. The resident population of sperm whales at Kaikoura can be seen all year round, while Orca (killer whales) may be seen from December to March, and humpbacks in June and July. Whales thrive close to Kaikoura because of its unusual submarine landscape, where the continental shelf drops abruptly into a number of extremely deep underwater canyons. In addition, the warm current from the north meets a colder one from the south, which causes nutrients from deep within the ocean to be carried upward. This phenomenon supports all types of marine life, from plankton and krill to dolphins and whales.