We woke up the other morning to Facebook notifications of whales in the area.

Our area’s name, Whangaparāoa, means ‘bay of whales’, so this must’ve been a more common thing back in the day. But in 2 1/2 years it’s the first time I’ve been aware of any that were close enough to see from shore.

We dashed down to the beach to take a look. They were there all right, but far enough away that we could just see a vague shape through the binoculars when they rolled a flipper out of the water or puffed out a breath.

Later in the day, they were again seen close to shore. By that time, knowledgeable people with boats and drones had identified the whales as a mom and calf Southern Right Whale.

We went again to look, and definitely saw them. But they were still too far away to really see much or get a decent picture.

The idea of whales just over there was really cool and exciting, even if the reality was underwhelming. We shared the moment with some equally excited strangers, got chilly, and went home.

Week after next, we head to Aitutaki for a week of tropical fish viewing, including another trip to swim with the whales. Very much looking forward to that!!