Q. What is the best time of the day to see the whales?
A. There isn't really a best time of the day to see the whales. The Sperm whales are resident to our area and tend to be very consistent as they need to surface to re-oxygenate after 40-50minute dives for approx 10 minutes. We can give you an update any time, just ask.
Q. Does the weather affect the viewing of the whales?
A. Yes, our operation can be affected by the weather. At times the weather can be very changable along the Kaikoura coast. All flights are at the pilots discretion.
Q. What happens if the weather is not suitable on the day of the flight?
A. We are happy to re-schedule your flight if the weather isn't suitable for flying. Our pilots keep a close eye on the weather and are able to give passengers a good idea of the conditions and whether or not it will affect the viewing of the whales.
Q. Will it be cold in the helicopter?
A. No, our modern fleet of helicopters are equipped with heaters. Take a jacket for alpine and snow landings.
Q. Do I get a refund if I don't get to see a whale?
A. Unfortuanately we do not have a refund policy, this is due to the high running costs of our helicopters. Our pilots will do their very best to find you whales and are sucessful 97% of the time all year, but on rare occasions whales are not found.
Q. Is the Helicopter the best way to see whales? Why?
A. Yes! You see the whole whale including what is under the water(most of the whale)
Very quick to move to another whale for greater viewing overall
The ability to fly slow or hover either side for better viewing and photos/video
Easily changing direction and staying close for great viewing all the time
Very little "g loading" or that heavy feel in the seat you can get flying in a plane
Very smooth and stable - more so than an airplane with almost no one ever feeling sick
Great viewing due to design and bubble windows
Nice and quiet with personal headsets
Little affect from wind due to design
Land in a wide variety of places if we need to wait at all
Pilots who fly with your needs front of mind and can then position the machine just where you want it
Just cool:-)
Q. How many passengers can fly in your helicopters?
A. 2, 3 or 4 passengers. We are able to fly small children under the age of 3 on a lap, free of charge. Possibly also an older child which is small at the pilots discretion. Just ask us.
Q. Do you have an age limit on children travelling in the helicopter?
A. No, we can carry children of any age.
Q. Do you carry people with disabilities?
A. Yes, we are able to fly elderly people as well as people with disabilities, also we fly a lot of people that may suffer from sea-sickness on the boats.
Q. Is there anywhere else in New Zealand I can see whales?
A. Kaikoura is the only place in New Zealand with a population of resident whales.
Q. Do you sell gift vouchers?
A. Yes we do!! We are able to take payment over the phone and post the voucher to you if required.
Q. What payment options do you have?
A. We take CASH, EFTPOS and most major credit cards. Sorry no American Express.
Q. Can I go Heli-Hiking with you?
A. Yes you can please see the Mountains section for details. We use the expert guides from Walks Kaikoura http://www.walkskaikoura.com/index.html for further details and online booking.
Q. Do you update whale or flight info online anywhere?
A. Yes we do - our Facebook and linked Twitter accounts normally have a few updates per day, check it out, become a friend;-)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaikoura/Kaikoura...
