New Zealand Tour

1. 30 minute flight leaving from Kaikoura to see the majestic Sperm Whale preparing for his next dive and up to 500 Dusky Dolphins playfully swimming
2. Fleet of aircraft includes a 4-seater Cessna 172 as well as an 8-seater Gippsland Aeronautics Airvan. Both aircraft have high wings and with each seatbelt being a window seat this allows for unobstructed panoramic views of the sea and mountains.

Departures

Booking Confirmation:

• Confirmation E-Voucher will be sent within 24 hours of booking, subject to availability
• E-Voucher contains operator details, times and local contact telephone numbers
• This tour must be booked at least 72 hours in advance of travel

With a 95% success rate of sigting whales and a cancellation rate of less than 5% - A flight to see the whales is the best way to view marine life and mountains in New Zealand.

In a typical 30 minute flight you will see the majestic Sperm Whale preparing for his next dive and up to 500 Dusky Dolphins playfully swimming.

Occasional sightings include Southern Right, Humpback, Fin, Sei, Brydes, Pilot, Southern Bottlenose and Blue Whales.

Other, less frequent, visitors to the area include Common, Hectors, Risso's and Southern Right Whale Dolphins, and Orca.

Sperm Whales are so prolific around Kaikoura because of a deep sea trench - the Hikorangi Trench - that is generally about 3,000ft (1,000 m) deep, although it reaches about 6,000ft (2,000 m) in some areas. The shape of this trench, combined with the predominance of Northerly and Southerly tides in the area, ensures that there is an ample supply of Squid, Groper, Ling and Shark, the whales' main food sources.

At Kaikoura, whales usually spend 10 minutes on the surface breathing every 10 - 15 seconds and will take, on average, one breath for every minute that it subsequently stays submerged. When breathing, the whale re-oxygenates its approximately three tonnes of blood with the haemoglobin in the blood absorbing the oxygen. The blood is circulated around the body and the haemoglobin in turn transfers the entrained oxygen to a material called myoglobin in the muscle and body tissue. When diving, the whale does not have oxygen in its lungs, or rather does not rely on the oxygen that it has remaining in its lungs, but instead utilises the oxygen held in the blood and body tissue.

Whales typically dive and return to the surface vertically, which may explain the relative ease with which the whalers were able to hunt them. When they dive they descend at approximately 4 knots (7 - 8 kph) and return to the surface at about 5 knots (9 kph). The whales around Kaikoura normally dive down to 3,000ft (1,000m) for approximately 45 minutes; however, they are capable of diving for more than 2 hours and at other locations have been tracked to a depth of 7,000ft (approx. 2,300m) and may be able to dive to far greater depths, maybe even 10,000ft (3,300m)!

• If whale watch is undertaken by light aircraft and no whales are seen, no refund applies.
• Cancellation Fees are no charge if more than 7 days, 50% if within 7 days and 100% if within 24 hours from departure.
• Children's rates apply to those aged between 3-14 years inclusive. Children 2 years and under are free of charge if not occupying a seat. On the Kaikoura Whale Watch, children under 3 years are not able to join the boat tours however may travel free of charge on the light aircraft.