Kaikoura whale-watchers spot first whales post-quake

  • 20/11/2016
There are major concerns about the impact of the earthquake on the industry (Whale Watch Kaikoura/Facebook)
There are major concerns about the impact of the earthquake on the industry (Whale Watch Kaikoura/Facebook)

There's been some good news for Kaikoura's whale-watchers on Sunday.

Whale Watch Kaikoura posted a video on Facebook of four whales spotted off the coast, describing the sight as "absolutely amazing".

"Today, six days after the 120 seconds that changed our lives, we decided to journey off the Kaikoura coast and look for our taonga and whanau, the tohora," the company wrote.

"What an amazing sight to see that our tohora is still with us. We know Hector dolphins and dusky dolphins have also been sighted, along with huge numbers of albatross and other pelagic seabirds.

"Our canyon is still full of life!"

But there are major concerns about the impact of the earthquake on the industry. Whale-watching boats can only go out for about two hours a day because the seabed has risen.

The Government will put emergency legislation through Parliament if it's needed to deal with Kaikoura's earthquake problems, Prime Minister John Key has said.

"Dredging would normally go through quite a lengthy consent process, and goodness knows what you do with the rubble from those enormous slips," Mr Key said on Wednesday.

"We can't leave these people high and dry - if we need emergency legislation, we will pass it."

He said he had told locals he thought there would be broad Parliamentary support for any emergency legislation the Government brought in.

Whale Watch Kaikoura is closed until further notice while the company assesses its operations after the quake.

Newshub.