Where mountains in line parade down to the sea,
in blue and white uniforms majestically,
there exists a rich garden of marine fauna and flora:
none ever more so than at Peninsular Kaikoura.
Off shore, Hikurangi Trench saps deep from the north
and Kaikoura Canyon lies submerged to the south
where the cold Southland Front Current disgorges forth
abundant rich plankton for whales' yawing mouth.
We all but delivered whales to extinction's door
when we callously engaged in their bloody slaughter,
but enlightenment today brings a sense of their awe
as we voyeuristically hunt them with digital camera.
I saw Kaikoura town once brought to its knees
with the collapse of the share market in the 1980's.
Stark boarded up store fronts told of grim poverty
but it's amazing how innovation creates prosperity!
Whale Watch tours started: a dream and a boat.
You ever think they could keep that business afloat?
Now we tourists are the great whale hunters today,
our harpoons are the pictures we capture and haul away.
in blue and white uniforms majestically,
there exists a rich garden of marine fauna and flora:
none ever more so than at Peninsular Kaikoura.
Off shore, Hikurangi Trench saps deep from the north
and Kaikoura Canyon lies submerged to the south
where the cold Southland Front Current disgorges forth
abundant rich plankton for whales' yawing mouth.
We all but delivered whales to extinction's door
when we callously engaged in their bloody slaughter,
but enlightenment today brings a sense of their awe
as we voyeuristically hunt them with digital camera.
I saw Kaikoura town once brought to its knees
with the collapse of the share market in the 1980's.
Stark boarded up store fronts told of grim poverty
but it's amazing how innovation creates prosperity!
Whale Watch tours started: a dream and a boat.
You ever think they could keep that business afloat?
Now we tourists are the great whale hunters today,
our harpoons are the pictures we capture and haul away.
 |
| Pictures courtesy Kaikoura Ocean Research Institute. |
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