Whale-watching, swimming with dolphins, getting up close and personal with furseals and sealions... all these and more can be part of any GeoSavvy Tour experience.

One of the best places to go whale-watching in New Zealand (and we think, the world) is Kaikoura, approximately 2hrs north of Christchurch.The reason Kaikoura (kai = food, koura = crayfish) is one of the best places in the world to view whales is due to the geology of the region. The continental shelf which usually continues for miles out to sea before dropping off sharply towards the ocean floor (the average depth of the seafloor once past the continental margin is >4,000m!), drops off instead just a few kilometres offshore from Kaikoura. This has created a whale 'super-highway' near at hand where these magnificent animals can be seen by boat as they cruise south either individually or in groups towards the Southern Ocean to feed on their favourite food - krill (shrimp-like crustaceans).

New Zealand is also home to a number of dolphin species, including the world's smallest and highly endangered Hector's dolphin. This dolphin is special in that the pods live close to shore and usually stay within the same bay or fiord all year round instead of cruising around the oceans like other dolphin species do.

Dolphin

Visit any sandy beach and you'll probably have the pleasure of meeting our New Zealand sealions - but don't get too close, these guys will bite and/or chase you if you get too close (and don't let their bulky bodies deceive you, these fellas can move mighty quick when they want to). The New Zealand furseal however is more likely to be found lounging amongst sun-heated rocks, only moving to grab a quick dip and play amongst the waves, until you guessed it, its back to those warm, sunbaked rocks again for another leisurely nap. These guys are a bit more friendly than our sealions, however we still recommend you stay a good 5m from these beautiful animals so they don't get too stressed.

Furseal