KA IKOURA, NATURE TOURISM TOWN

Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 4, 1 November 1990, Page 8

KA

IKOURA, NATURE TOURISM TOWN

By

Gerard Hutching

"| OTHING QUITE PREPARES YOU for the +. "ride out to view the sperm whales at Kaikoura, despite the operator's prior caution that it will be a hybrid of speedboating and white water rafting. In seconds one is propelled to a near airborne attitude as the rubber-pontooned vessel speeds out to its appointment with the whales. After ten minutes at high velocity on a cool winter's morning, a form of lockjaw settles in, making communication with fellow whale watchers impossible. Fortunately this particular morning the sun breaks clear of the cloud to allow myself and fellow tourists to warm up. This is eco-tourism, 1990s-style and whale watching is a high technology business. One of our guides from Kaikoura Tours Ltd, a marae-based venture, informs us that the twin-engined outboard vessel is the fastest passenger boat on the water. It soon becomes apparent why the speed is required. For an hour we wait patiently for the whales to appear, monitoring their progress underwater with the aid of a hydrophone which picks up the sonic clicks they use to locate their prey. As soon as a telltale 3-metre high plume is spotted about half a kilometre away, we are treated to another rollicking sprint across the ocean. But within 30 seconds of our arrival the sperm whale heaves its tail flukes in the air, the signal that it is about to dive under for a further hour or so. This particular whale has been "spooked" by the presence of the whale watching boats, the guides suggest. It is presumed that it is a recent arrival to the herd that winters off the Kaikoura coast and is unaccustomed to human attention. No such inhibitions concern Hoon, the darling of the whale watching set. Those fortunate enough to see Hoon are spoiled with up to 15 minutes of whale frolicking. At

times the 15-metre, 50-tonne leviathan has been known to dive under the watching boats. However, this morning Hoon fails to make an appearance. In fact, despite a further two brief sightings, the whales stay out of sight. However, that afternoon and the following day they are more obliging and whale tourists are treated to numerous and lengthy sightings. Kaikoura is one of the best locations in the world to view whales, especially sperm whales. Almost nowhere else do large sperm whales routinely come so close to shore. The Kaikoura population is comprised of only adolescent males and the attraction is their prey — giant squid which live deep down in the Hikurangi Trough, the southern extent of which ends near Kaikoura. At depths of more than 1000 metres the whales and squid engage in titanic battles, evidence of which can be seen in the occasional squid sucker marks on the whales. But it is the dusky dolphins which are the highlight of my trip, and conversations with other whale watchers reveal that the dolphin encounters are the most enjoyable. It is the different natures of the mammals: the whales, huge and remote, the dolphins cu-

rious and playful, revelling in their acrobatic performances. To the onlooker there seems no doubt that the dolphins do cartwheels or backward flips for the delight of humans; the humans respond with appropriate "oohs" and "aahs’, encouraging the cetaceans to perform even more outrageously. Less than 30 years ago at Kaikoura humans were still chasing whales with harpoons rather than pursuing them with cameras. Today whale watching is one of the factors that has changed Kaikoura from being a sleepy stop-off en route to Christchurch or

Picton to a "must see" town offering a variety of leisure activities: diving, fishing, tramping, skiing. Looming behind Kaikoura are the Seaward Kaikoura mountains, tramping and climbing meccas for locals and important habitat for a number of special plants and animals. Since 1983 Forest and Bird’s Kaikoura section, led by chairperson Barry Dunnett, has promoted the Seaward and Inland Kaikoura Ranges as potential conservation parks. Lowland beech and podocarp forest sporadically clothes the hills along the coast to the

Clarence River. This represents the largest forest remnant on the east coast of the South Island outside of the Catlins coast. In the northern section of the Seaward Kaikouras grow stands of the rare weeping broom Chordospatium stevonsonii. The forest contains most native bird species with the notable exceptions of kiwi, kaka and weka. Above the treeline are located the only two known breeding colonies of Hutton’s shearwater. The colonies contain about 50,000 birds. Recent research indicates a very low breeding rate, but scientists are puzzled as to

why. The unusual shearwater used to breed throughout the Seaward Kaikoura Range. A variety of giant weta and the black-eyed gecko also live on the range. Today Barry is involved in another campaign, to create a marine reserve around the Kaikoura Peninsula (see box). In response to the tourist influx, locals have begun to offer services beyond just whale watching. While many whale watchers come from Christchurch, Blenheim or Nelson for the day, others stay overnight and are looking for different activities. Kaikoura public relations officer Sue McInnes says it is an exaggeration to say that the 3000-population town is booming as a result of the whale watching. "However, the whales have definitely put Kaikoura on the map with all the publicity. The frequent media attention has heightened the nation’s awareness of the area generally. Several new businesses have developed, including tour operations which are unique — swimming with dolphins, snorkelling with seals, and alpine barbecue expeditions, which have all succeeded well in their first year of operation," she says. The whale watching venture has proved invaluable because the best time to see sperm whales is during the winter, when tourism is normally at a low ebb.

Kaikoura, meaning "to eat crayfish’, has always been an important centre of Maori culture. In turn the Waitaha, Ngati Mamoe and Ngai Tahu occupied the district, and the peninsula was studded with pa sites. In 1828 Te Rauparaha carried out an infamous invasion of the peninsula from Kapiti Island, killing 1400 people before returning home. Today, Maori are still present and partially thanks to whale watching the local iwi, Ngati Kuri, of the Ngai Tahu tribe, are experiencing a renaissance. Two years ago they set up Kaikoura Tours Ltd with one boat. Today they run two boats and employ about 20 full and part time staff. The company has taken over the old railway station where they run a tearooms and souvenir shop. Luke Clayton, who works in the shop, says the venture has lifted the pride of his people. "The reason we set the company up was to look after our unemployed. The young ones were moving away," he says. He notes that overseas tourists are particularly interested in the Kaikoura Tours operation because they are seeking a uniquely indigenous experience. He says that so far sperm, fin, pilot and orca whales have been seen. The fin, the second largest whale, "was a real bonus. But we would love to see the blue." The local youth hostel is enjoying a miniboom, with the number of people staying up 100 percent from three years ago. Manageress Clare Matthews says the hostel may have to add more rooms if the demand increases. She notices that people are now staying for two to three days rather than just overnighting. Nature tourism has given Kaikoura a much needed shot in the arm, and the future looks even brighter with proposals for a marine reserve, marine mammal sanctuary and Kaikoura mountains conservation park.

"We're going to lose our sea life if we don’t do something," she says. Rod Rae sums up the attitude of someone who once used to take as much from the sea as he wanted, but now would like to put something back. "Twenty years ago I could dive and spear 30 butterfish in 30 minutes. You can’t do that anymore. The peninsula is an area worth preserving because there's such diversity. These days more and more divers are beginning to see the merits of reserves."