Whale Tales from New Zealand
Incredible experiences...
Meeting new people and sharing an unforgettable experience. Spotting a whale breaching and fin slapping in the deep blue sea. Re-telling stories to family and friends over wine and food on the return from your trip. These are experiences that make a holiday meaningful.
Story time...
There they were…just 200m away from our boat, the huge white fin sticking straight up and then crashing down, slapping the cool water off New Zealand’s North Coast…the humpbacks must have been enormous as we could all hear the crash of their impressive pectoral fin from so far away!
In November 2019, my expedition voyage from Auckland to Napier created one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. I had hoped that we might catch a glimpse of the whales that cruise around New Zealand, but never did I imagine I would be privy to my own private show by these magnificent mammals! Check out my short clip of not one, but TWO beautiful whales breaching right in front of me!
Early in the week we’d visited the volcanic ‘White Island’ (sadly no longer possible as it erupted 2 weeks after my visit) and was struck how incredible the marine wildlife was. We’d seen hundreds of seals, incredible birds and as we headed away from the volcanic island, the fish were teeming.
The onboard Expedition Guides and Naturalists confirmed that these deep, plentiful waters were great for spotting whales – but a sighting was never guaranteed….and if we did see one we would be really lucky! And lucky we were…
The heart of an expedition voyage is all about ‘what’ you’ll see and how nature’s impressive raw form can humble even the most travel weary. The onboard Expedition Leaders and Naturalists will be the beating heart of your voyage and will impart their encyclopedic knowledge with wit and patience…remembering that many of them are highly qualified academics in their field. Their enthusiasm and stories of raw nature will be intoxicating! But remember – nature is NOT like Netflix and doesn’t appear on demand…you’ll need to have patience and adopt a ‘if we see it, it’s a bonus’ mindset, and remember to put the camera down from time to time and just enjoy what you are seeing!
The vessels that you travel on, are, of course an important choice when deciding ‘who’ to go with…but above anything else it will be the well crafted itinerary and ‘where’ you’ll go that will remain with you forever.
Today’s ships are modern and comfortable – many of them are adding ‘toys’ such as helicopters and submersibles and underwater lounges onboard, all of which will enhance the experience. Also, importantly, brand new ships are becoming more aware of the impact that they have on the environment – with the world’s first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural launched by PONANT (Le Commandant Charcot).
Exploring hard to reach places on the ships zodiacs will be a thrill in itself and it affords everyone the opportunity to become a photographer of note with ‘up close and personal’ shots of the wildlife, flora and fauna!
And after a day of exploration, the onboard team of chefs and cruise staff will work tirelessly to keep you refueled with delicious dishes and fine wines.
The time to celebrate big moments has been on pause for a while, but the time is nearly here. We can almost feel it. Let’s face it, we all want to enjoy a precious holiday….so why not make your next holiday an Expedition Cruise? Take a look at everything we offer on our website Panache
Routes and emotions are waiting to be explored!
If you are interested in booking an Expedition Cruise or would like to have a chat about the finer details, email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Amy Sharpe for providing this article.
Want to experience this? Give the Panache Cruises team a call on 0161 513 8200 and they'd be happy to help!
