Whale watching by helicopter!

In Kaikoura, which is known for its vast quantity of marine life, including seals, dolphins and whales. This apparently is due to the continental shelf and ocean currents. When the southern current hits the continental shelf it creates an upwelling, bring nutrients up from the ocean floor into the feeding zone for lots of marine life. The main sighting for the area however is whales, which can either be seen by boat, plane or helicopter. With neither of us having been in a helicopter before we choose this one, and boarded (a very small!) helicopter for a forty minute whale watching tour.  The helicopter only had four seats, meaning Ryan had to be ‘co-pilot’; he’s now contemplating his private pilot’s licence and various flying lesson options! The flight itself was amazing, with a brilliant view of the snow-capped mountains behind Kaikoura. It was however, quite an odd experience to get used to! It was so strange just to lift off the ground vertically and be hovering. When the helicopter turns its a bit odd as well, it feels like the whole world is tilting around you, especially when all you can see is the ocean. We had a pretty successful flight, seeing 5 sperm whales, each about 18m long, and weighing approximately 45 tonnes. We also learnt an interesting fact that sperm whale vomit was used as an ingredient in perfume, and the reason for the vomit is because the whale cannot digest giant squid beaks. Apologies for the rubbish photos however, neither of us it turns out are that great at picture taking in a helicopter!