COASTALOBSERVER by sophia rose' "See no evil : Hear no evil : Speak no evil. For beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Money is not everything."

In certain families of New Zealand's 'kiwi iwi' spiritual culture, it is olde tradition to say, "It's a fluke". This is applied to significant 'proverbial chance encounters', like when you bump into someone not seen for years. Suddenly they appear, as you need help or inspiration. Such serendipity simply put means: 'meant to be'. It refers to all walks of life, nature, culture.

Kaikoura township and Bay, is a settlement on the main highway, East Coast South Island of New Zealand, 'Aotearoa'. It features publicly on the tourism globe, as World Class, 'must see', place to visit.

Whale watch, dolphin swims, seals, sea lions at your feet, feed sea birds, eat fish, crayfish, berries. Film sea life of many other descriptions. Being outdoors while creatures 'both great and small' live beside you in their own 'clockwork fashion' and their natural environment full up to the brim with 'kai', food for them.

This is Kaikoura, where amazing crystal clear, blue summer sky, 'kisses' the deep blue, shimmering ocean. It's horizon showcases rainbows and pots of gold in it's aurora illusions. Kai-(food)-koura-(crayfish)- is a heavenly design, nestled in a tapestry of green mountains, farms, forests, swamps, lakes of birds, historical volcanic flora and fauna. No wonder the whales love returning. Mother Nature welcomes them. 'Hare mai'.

I will never forget the day that I went to Kaikoura, on a recent South Island 13 day summer road trip. The itinerary was full on with overnight stays and memorable visits to many 'clean, green kiwi places, sites and sights'. But for me, Kaikoura was the 'best of the best', where I connected with the mighty mammal and predator of the Oceans and Seas, the Humpback and Sperm Whales. Yes providence.

The helicopter ride was superb, the morning clear and blue. Dan the pilot guided us to understanding we may not see any whales today. No guarantees existed. No Whale sightings for over a month. I was of the opinion, the aerial views alone would satisfy my appreciation of being up in 'sky space' for 30 minutes.

It was exhilarating, 'tapu lifting'. Seeing both Sperm and Humpback Whales and a pod of over 500 dolphins was inspiring. Aspirations to return by sea and boat, if only just to capture close up film of the Whale's 'tail flukes', overcame me. For in her tail, her story tells of how she sings and wails on her migration back to the other hemisphere that awaits her.

'Fluke or not'. For me this was a 'whale of a time', I shall remember.