Adventures in Paradise 47

Adventures in Paradise 47

Kia Orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on whales and those things not seen. It is whale season here on our island. Each year, from July through October, the whales leave their summer feeding waters in the Antarctic for the warmer waters of the South Pacific. The area around the Cook Islands becomes a breeding ground for these amazing creatures.  The waters off Rarotonga become a “whale nursery”, where mothers nurture and educate their calves in the ways of the world. Each year the whales also sing. Although the singing continues from year to year, it is never the same. Each year, a new song is created. It is original and will not be duplicated. During any one migratory season, there could be fifty to one hundred and fifty whales populating our waters. Or so they say……………….

Promptly, on July 1^st, I walked excitedly down to our beach.  “They” had said that Blackrock was one of the best places from which to view the migration. What luck! We live at Blackrock! I suppose in my inexperience, I expected more than was possible, but I really did assume that there would be whales and that I would be able to see them easily. So, I stood on the beach for a few minutes, scanning the horizon. Eventually, having seen nothing, I returned to the house and reported to Ward that there were no whales. My reality at that moment was if I can’t see the whales, they do not exist.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I began to learn of signs that indicated the return of the whales. “They” said that whales like to rid themselves of their barnacles by scraping along the reef, so we started to look where we could be closest to the reef. We learned that if there were two or more boats in the water near the same spot, there could be a whale in the area. We began to pay attention if several people were gathered in a certain area and they were looking towards the ocean. This could be evidence of a sighting. We learned that it was much easier to spot a large dark object in the water if the seas were calm. We learned that whales often stay in one place for hours or even days at a time and that they will stay under the surface for prolonged periods if the food in plentiful. We also discovered that we needed to be actively seeking the whales, rather then passively assuming that they would simply appear. We have learned to scan the ocean surface for water spouts. We have learned to be patient and to believe. We have learned  to have faith that we will eventually see.

 One
day we heard about “The Whale Lady”.  Nan Hauser has devoted her life to the study of whales. She is an expert on the habits and migration patterns of these animals. Nan is the “They” that people here keep quoting. She has also created the Whale Centre which is an educational experience for those seeking to know more. Nan is always exuberant and positive and we have learned to appreciate her for the expert that she is. Nan promised us that all we had to do was call and she would tell us where to look for the whales. So having learned that there is someone far more knowledgeable, we have sought Nan out to show us the way. We make a simple request and we are given direction. We can leave a phone message and she returns it. She is never too busy to give us an answer. It doesn’t always come when we expect, but it does come. She helped us to recognize the signs and she directed us to the whales. We had faith that she will show us the way. And now, we see the whales! They are beautiful and awe-inspiring.  We have seen them breeching, and  we have seen them slapping the water with their tails.  This slapping is actually quite noisy, so when we hear that sound, we now know to turn towards it .We have seen mothers showing off their calves.  We have also now learned that just because we can’t see them on any particular day, it does not mean that they don’t exist. They are in fact, almost omnipresent. They are all around us. They are here whether we choose to seek them out or not. It is the same. They are here.

So, perhaps being able to see what we are seeking depends on where and how we are looking.  It may also depend on listening to the direction of those far more experienced that we. It should also require faith on our parts that the whales do exist whether we can see them or not, don’t you think? We have not yet heard a whale sing, but now having developed faith in the testimony of others, we know that they do sing and we can only hope that we will have a chance to hear their song as well.

As usual, we are happy and trying to work hard. It has been a fascinating last few weeks here, as we have learned so much from those around us. We have also had a surprise today! There are three people on Mangaia, who would like to speak with us. They want us help them know where to look.  Mangaia is another island in the Cook chain. We could not get two seats on the same flight, so Ward is flying out tomorrow and I will follow him on Saturday. Since we will be there until Wednesday, I am certain that we will have continuing adventures to report in our next blog. We are told that we will most likely be able to spot whales from the air! We are excited and have faith that this will happen. Ka kite!

Love, Ward and Susan                     Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks

This is Nan Hauser, the "Whale Lady". She is shown with the local fisherman who called her the day he first spotted the whale in the next photo.

This whale was named Snow White due to the unusual white markings on it's body. Nan took this photo on July 30. The dark mass you see on the left just above water level is Blackrock. We are showing Nan's photo because it is much better than our own. We do have some movies that we can share upon our return.