Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marine Mammal-Watching
Kaikoura, on the northeast coast of the South Island, is NZ's nexus of marine mammal-
watching. The main attraction here is whale-watching, but this is dependent on weather
conditions, so don't expect to just be able to rock up and head straight out on a boat for a
dream encounter. The sperm whale, the largest toothed whale, is pretty much a year-round
resident, and depending on the season you may also see migrating humpback whales, pilot
whales, blue whales and southern right whales. Other mammals - including fur seals and
dusky dolphins - are seen year-round.
Kaikoura is also an outstanding place to swim with dolphins. Pods of up to 500 playful
dusky dolphins can be seen on any given day. Dolphin swimming is common elsewhere in
NZ, with the animals gathering off the North Island near Whakatane, Paihia, Tauranga,
and in the Hauraki Gulf, and off Akaroa on the South Island's Banks Peninsula. Seal
swimming is possible in Kaikoura and in the Abel Tasman National Park.
TOWERING KAURI
When Chaucer was born this was a sturdy young tree. When Shakespeare was born it was 300 years old. It pred-
ates most of the great cathedrals of Europe. Its trunk is sky-rocket straight and sky-rocket bulky, limbless for half
its height. Ferns sprout from its crevices. Its crown is an asymmetric mess, like an inverted root system. I lean
against it, give it a slap. It's like slapping a building. This is a tree out of Tolkien. It's a kauri.
Joe Bennett (A Land of Two Halves) referring to the McKinney kauri in Northland.
Trees
No visitor to NZ (particularly Australians!) will go for long without hearing about the
damage done to the bush by that bad-mannered Australian import, the brush-tailed pos-
sum. The long list of mammal pests introduced to NZ accidentally or for a variety of mis-
guided reasons includes deer, rabbits, stoats, pigs and goats. But the most destructive by
far is the possum, 70 million of which now chew through millions of tonnes of foliage a
year despite the best efforts of the Department of Conservation (DOC) to control them.
Among favoured possum food are NZ's most colourful trees: the kowhai, a small-
leaved tree growing to 11m that in spring has drooping clusters of bright-yellow flowers
(NZ's national flower); the pohutukawa, a beautiful coastal tree of the northern North Is-
land which bursts into vivid red flower in December, earning the nickname 'Christmas
tree'; and a similar crimson-flowered tree, the rata. Rata species are found on both islands;
the northern rata starts life as a climber on a host tree (that it eventually chokes).
