Kaikoura, definitely the place to go for Whale, Dolphin and Albatross encounters !! An amazing experience with the dusky dolphins, a kind of shorter and very acrobatic type which is usually found in the southern hemisphere as we were told. The encounter was quite impressive since they are very sociable even though they are totally wild and nothing is done to attract them. They just come around the boat, let themselves flow onto the wave and don't hesitate to spin around to impress us :O). We were also lucky enough to see really huge albatrosses flying around the boat. Simply a fantastic bird !! Well, very recommended encounter unless you are prone to seasickness like a certain me !! (Gundi) :O)