In Search of Giant Squid
We have arrived in Kaikoura. Our motel overlooks the bay where the town
of Kaikoura sits. It's a small resort town with its chief tourist
industry whale-watching. There are several whale watching companies;
one even features a plane trip with an aerial view of the whales. More
about the town as we get familiar with it.
From Wellington, three days ago, we flew to Christchurch , the main city on South Island. It's rightfully and proudly called the Garden City. Flowers fill nearly every front garden. As we drive along the streets, we see one beautiful front yard after another, almost as though there is a competition between neighbors. We see many immaculately kept rose gardens and brilliantly colored dahlias. Bright blue lobelias border fire-engine red geraniums. Each yard is a riot of stunning colors.
It was recommended we visit the Antarctic Center, a large facility
located near the airport. Christchurch has become the starting point
for many expeditions to the Antarctic and there is a keen interest in
that topic. It shows many films documenting life in the Antarctic now
and over the past 40 years, going back to explorers like Scott and
Admunson. We learned that New Zealand's Scott Base in Antarctica is
currently celebratinig its 40th year. The celebration last week was
attended by Sir Edmund Hillary who was one of the first explorers. Many
nations are represented in research stations based on the Antarctic
continent. To give a feel of how large Antarctica is, it's half again
the size of the United States. For the Norwegian hiker, Borge Ousland,
to hike 9800 miles across that continent in 64 days,this helps put it
in some kind of perspective.
There's one train a day which heads up the coast from Christchurch to
Picton, the northern most city On South Island. Kaikoura is about half
way up the coast from Christchurch. We left the Christchurch station at
7:30 AM on a comfortable coach heading north. We were served Devonshire
tea, with scones, rasyberry jam and cream as we rode along a patchwork
quilt scene of pastures covered with thousands of sheep. Each paddock
was se parated by tall 12-1 5 foot hedges of severely trimmed evergreen
trees. As we approached Kaikoura, the railroad went along the edge of
the Pacific Ocean, with the steep mountainside reaching up behind the
rail bed. It was a beautiful introduction to what will prove to be an
exciting time in this sleepy resort town.
Besides getting used to the left drive/walk? l've also learned that the wall light switches work upside down. Push down on the wall switch if you want the light to go on. The same with a hair dryer I borrowed. For hotter heat and higher power, the switch is opposite of what I'm used to. lt took me an embarrassingly long time to figure that out after my hair wasn't at all drying like l had hoped it would. All along, I was blaming the wimpy hair dryer, and it was really I who didn't know how to work it. The water faucets also work backwards All are daily reminders that we are indeed Down Under.
Smithsonian Giant Squid Overview Page
gene carl feldman / gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov