Just yesterday (May 24 2015) I arrived home after a 3 week driving tour of the New Zealand South Island in a campervan. New Zealand is unfairly blessed with a natural beauty most countries would be jealous of. I also saw a lot more wildlife in their natural habitat than I expected and I think this is actually a bit of an unknown attraction in New Zealand until you actually get there.
If you had asked me what animals I would have expected to see I probably would have told you “some birds, and maybe some fish”. Well, it was plenty more than that. Our trip started in Christchurch (east coast) and we traveled in north, in an anticlockwise direction.
Sperm Whale, Kaikoura
Kaikoura is undisputedly the whale-watching capital of the world. I don’t know all the scientific details but Kaikoura is uniquely situated in that just a few hundred metres off shore the sea floor drops very quickly to over 2000 metres. The waters are nutrient rich and “warm” which attracts small fish, which in turn attracts bigger fish and whales.
Backpacking Matt actually has a great review of Whale Watch Kaikoura at this link, which is one way to see the whales. I believe they are the only operator of boat tours to see the whales. I actually opted for a 30 minute scenic flight and was lucky enough to see one 20 metre long (yes!) sperm whale from our circling Cessna. Wings Over Whales boast a 95% success rate! Even if you don’t see a whale, the flight is very beautiful as Kaikoura itself is surrounded by mountains and is very green.
Seals, Kaikoura/Westport
Also in Kaikoura, there is a resident seal colony who can be easily seen out on the point via a quick walk over a fairly rocky terrain. There are actually 2 seal colonies out on Kaikoura Peninsula but we stopped at one. When on shore, the seals are resting from spending hours at sea fishing so they don’t often move a lot but if you watch for a while you are bound to see some movement.
Heading all over New Zealand? Get inspired with this 2 week suggested NZ itinerary.
Eels, Lake Rotoiti (St Arnaud)
Lake Rotoiti is a one of two major lakes of the Nelson Lakes National Park in the upper New Zealand South Island. It is a beautiful lake with a large carpark and campsite on the St Arnaud side and mountains on the other side. There appear to be two ranges that converge and meet in the centre to give a very striking character to the lake.
Under the pier at the carpark is home to many resident eels. The eels are thick, long, black and very ominous with faces that would be hard for a mother to love. You might be waiting for me to say how beautiful they looked. Well you’d be wrong. They are gross creatures, but surprisingly fascinating to watch. You can try and feed them but the resident ducks are likely to get to any food first.
Kea, Milford Road
The glacier-carved Milford Sound is awe-inspiring and a must visit for anyone with 2 days and $70 they are happy to part with. Milford Road is just as scenic with more snow-capped mountains around every turn. After coming out of the other side of the Homer Tunnel there is a stopping point along the road to view the cliff/rock wall you just drove through without a second through.
At this stopping point you’ll find about 4-5 kea who seem more interested in biting at the rubber of your car windows than you are in taking photos of them. The Kea is part of the parrot family and is only found on New Zealand’s South Island.
Penguin, Curio Bay, The Catlins
Being so far south I didn’t even give it a thought that there should be penguins around enjoying the cold weather. But I found one just by following my instincts and signs. Road signs that is. As we were driving through the Catlins in the far-flung south-east corner of the island our stopping point for the night became Curio Bay. As we followed the signs to the holiday park we saw another sign to the fortified (fossilised) trees.
On the lookout boardwalk, though, all we saw was signs about penguins. Intrigued, I looked down at the rocks and there were plenty of people down there taking photos of a single penguin. No sign of 180 million year old tree fossils, but there was one penguin playing with himself on the rocks. In the warmer months the signs say there are more penguins about so I was pretty stoked to get to see one.
Sea Lions, Lighthouse, The Catlins.
Also in the Catlins, at Waipapa Point Lighthouse we stumbled upon another two other large sea lions near the rocks. We couldn’t get as close as the other seals, but we could most definitely hear one of them. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my long lens with me so this is as close as the picture could get but nonetheless, a great surprise.
For more wildlife inspiration, read plenty more at Waking up Wild.
Heading to New Zealand soon?
So amazing and wonderful that you saw all this wildlife! We are heading on a campervan trip to South Island in October and then again in December. I will be sure to revisit this post when we plan our trip! Thanks for sharing :-)
Oh wow, you will have the best time! Campervanning is without a doubt the best way to see New Zealand. Also, I plan on posting an in depth recommended itinerary in the near future so keep an eye out for that too :)