They told Mila Smith de Zeeuw: \u2018\u2018Go study in Dunedin. It\u2019ll be great. You\u2019ll have a whale of a time\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
But the 18-year-old University of Otago first-year student remained sceptical \u2014 until yesterday afternoon.<\/p>\n
When word of three humpback whales swimming in Otago Harbour spread around the university and reached her and her friends, they all raced down to the Steamer Basin to see if they could catch a glimpse.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It was just through word of mouth and so we quickly raced down to the harbour and we got to spot them which was pretty cool.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Coming from the Coromandel, she said she had seen \u2018\u2018a few whales\u2019\u2019 over the years, but not humpbacks up close like this.<\/p>\n
She said it was \u2018\u2018definitely special\u2019\u2019 and she felt a strange compulsion to jump into the frigid water and swim with them.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We did talk about it, but I thought it would be a bit inappropriate to jump in.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We didn\u2019t have any swimming attire with us and, you know, there\u2019s the environmental issues of jumping in with whales as well.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It was the best study break.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
University of Otago Marine Studies Centre curator Aaron Heimann said it was not uncommon to see humpback whales in the harbour, but it was a little unusual for them to be so far up the harbour.<\/p>\n
He believed they might have been following food \u2014 usually microscopic marine life, small schooling fish and krill.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018There’s quite a bit of krill around at the moment,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Adults can grow to such large sizes that they can eat up to 1360kg of food each day.<\/p>\n
Mr Heimann said the whales were likely taking a short detour into the harbour, as part of their annual migration from the southern polar waters to warmer waters in the north where they would mate and give birth over winter.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018There’s been a few whales sighted off the coast \u2014 quite active humpbacks breaching and things \u2014 in recent days and weeks.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n