Travel by Coastal Pacific Train taking a scenic rail journey North to arrive into Kaikoura. As you cruise with expert local guides, learn about the town, its whaling history and its natural features. Not far offshore lies the Hikurangi Trench, which creates the upwelling that attracts an abundance of marine life. While the giant sperm whales live here year-round, you might also see New Zealand fur seals, dusky dolphins and, depending on the season, migrating humpback whales, pilot whales, blue whales and southern right whales. Kaikoura’s waters also host the world's largest dolphins—the orca–and the world's smallest and rarest—Hector’s dolphins. On the feathered side of life, Kaikoura has the largest concentration and variety of seabirds on mainland New Zealand, with 13 species of albatross, 14 varieties of petrels and 7 types of shearwaters. After your whale-watching cruise, if option selected have the option to include the lunch in your tour at additional cost, or to purchase your own meal. Next we visit a nearby New Zealand fur seal colony where you can observe the seals at close quarters. If time allows we will stop at a North Canterbury vineyard for a wine tasting!