Dorsal Fin Encounters

“Kaikoura is not a name that trips off the tongue when you list those lucky places that offer encounters with nature and a touch of luxury,” The Independent’s Jonathan Lorie reports. “But this township of wooden cabins, ringed by mountains in a rugged bay, is New Zealand’s next big eco-destination. ‘It’s the best place in the world for swimming with dolphins,’ explained Kate Baxter, the sparky concierge who welcomed me to Hapuku Lodge. Kaikoura has two great claims to fame. One is Hapuku — a line of tree houses perched in a grove of wispy manuka trees, between the mountains and the sea. The other great claim lies beneath the sea. Nowhere else in the world has such deep water a kilometre from shore. Here, your chances of seeing a whale are 95 per cent, every day of the year.”