Whales!

Well I am now down on the south island, in a little village called Kaikoura, and it's really pretty with amazing views and snow-capped mountains. It's really small compared to everywhere else I've been here, but really nice.
Yesterday morning I ventured down to the "whaleway" to get my boat, although they said that they had cancelled most of the trip the day before due to the weather. Luckily it wasn't cancelled, and after dire warnings about sea-sickness (they make some people take tablets) we went out on the boat and it really was very rough! They stop and use the underwater microphone (which I can't remember the proper name for) and listen for where the whales are, then you go off in a certain direction, and there they are! it's amazing to see them so close up and they really are massive. The whales stay on the surface for a while and then dive down, which is when you get the "tail shot" as I have here. It really was awesome.