Dolphins
After arriving in Kaikoura we had a good look around and at 4:30pm I had to go and see if I had got on to the dolphin encounters trip the next day having joined the waiting list on Sunday. When I arrived there was a clamour of other hopefuls dying to get on board the 'experience of a lifetime'. By the end though they hadn't read out my name. The woman came out and read out the names of all the other people who hadn't made it and told them they could try again the next day. She didn't read out mine though and sure enough I had made it, they'd just not read my name out. So the next morning we were due to go swimming with dolphins.
The forecast was not good though and as I walked home the wind continued to rise and the heavens opened. The weather got worse and worse but by midnight the worst of it had past. We were assured there was more to come in the morning though.
We woke at 7:30am to find it calm and clear. I phoned the dolphin encounters office and we were on. After what seemed an eternity we were finally all kitted out in wetsuits, flippers, goggles and snorkel and off we headed.
The guides had a pretty good idea where the dolphins were and after about 30 minutes we arrived at a pod of around 200 dolphins performing al lsorts of aerobatics from back flips to summersalts. We were all hurridly prepared, a hooter sounded and all 13 of us slipped off the back of the boat in search of a dolphin encounter.
We'd been advised to hum tunes and make general noises to attract them and to try diving down. Sure enough a few heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllooooooooooos later came some enquisitive dusky dolphins. They darted past taking a good look, often stopping to swim round and round you. If you swum round with them they would continue, trying to wear you out and usually succeeding. They'd then head off to more interesting things. They continued to appear though, sometimes you could see them as they bombed up to the surface for a jump. We'd been told not to touch them as it would scare them away but the temptation was just too great and they are so close your hand just goes out. Never did touch one though.
The sea was quite rough and made swimming quite difficult. When the dolphins had eventually swum off we were called back the the boat to find them again. We would just sit on the back with our legs dangling as the skipper sped along to the middle of the pod again. After about 5 drops we were all pretty knackered and the dolphins a bit bored. We all clambered back on board and it was time for a few photos (I didn't take my camera though). We just sailed around and the dolphins revelled in it, performing jumps and swimming all around the bow, stern and sides of the boat. They seemed to love it, as did we.
By now we could see the bad weather coming (New Zealand is like that) and we headed for home followed by a multitude of sea birds from small shearwaters to giant Royal Albatross. The journey home started in bright, relatively calm conditions but ended in a gale and us strangely docking straight onto a trailer being hauled up the slip. We then disembarked down a set of steps.
Quite an experience all in.
The rest of the day was all about rain.
Today we should be going whale watching at 3:30pm. We've already been for a walk around the Kaikoura penninsula amongst the fur seals and gulls. We also found a little blue penguin in a 'solidified' state. Poor wee thing.
As we walked back over the cliffs we could see the whale watch boats in the distance. Every so often you would see them, along with two helicopters and a plane converge and you could see the whales blowing spray even from the shore.
It's a glorious sunny day today but the sea is still rough. It's calming all the time though and the signs are good for some whale spotting.
The hostel here is great and our room is right at the end about 50 yards from the railway. There are only two passenger trains a day but the cargo trains are quite regular and make the ground move as the roar past in the middle of the night. Gets a bit annoying after the novelty wears off.
I need to write down a couple of stories too. The other night a couple of Canadian pensioners were looking around for something in the hostel. One of them had lost her purse. They looked high and low. Eventually a young German girl found it behind her jam in the fridge. Obviously the Canadian woman was very happy. Her companion piped up 'This is what happens when old people go travelling'. True.
Also a story an american woman told me on the Doubtful Sound cruise. She had been on the phone to her grand-daughter back in Colorado. 'Look on the map. Can you see New Zealand? Can you see where Granny and Grandpa are?' 'We're at the bottom of the world. We're upside down. How come we don't fall off?' 'It's gravity Granny!!!' Came the reply. Watch out George Bush you've got competition.
Anyway I'm off to bask in the sun which Jamie seems to think never shows it's face.
Maybe abit of barracuda fishing tomorrow if we're lucky.
The forecast was not good though and as I walked home the wind continued to rise and the heavens opened. The weather got worse and worse but by midnight the worst of it had past. We were assured there was more to come in the morning though.
We woke at 7:30am to find it calm and clear. I phoned the dolphin encounters office and we were on. After what seemed an eternity we were finally all kitted out in wetsuits, flippers, goggles and snorkel and off we headed.
The guides had a pretty good idea where the dolphins were and after about 30 minutes we arrived at a pod of around 200 dolphins performing al lsorts of aerobatics from back flips to summersalts. We were all hurridly prepared, a hooter sounded and all 13 of us slipped off the back of the boat in search of a dolphin encounter.
We'd been advised to hum tunes and make general noises to attract them and to try diving down. Sure enough a few heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllooooooooooos later came some enquisitive dusky dolphins. They darted past taking a good look, often stopping to swim round and round you. If you swum round with them they would continue, trying to wear you out and usually succeeding. They'd then head off to more interesting things. They continued to appear though, sometimes you could see them as they bombed up to the surface for a jump. We'd been told not to touch them as it would scare them away but the temptation was just too great and they are so close your hand just goes out. Never did touch one though.
The sea was quite rough and made swimming quite difficult. When the dolphins had eventually swum off we were called back the the boat to find them again. We would just sit on the back with our legs dangling as the skipper sped along to the middle of the pod again. After about 5 drops we were all pretty knackered and the dolphins a bit bored. We all clambered back on board and it was time for a few photos (I didn't take my camera though). We just sailed around and the dolphins revelled in it, performing jumps and swimming all around the bow, stern and sides of the boat. They seemed to love it, as did we.
By now we could see the bad weather coming (New Zealand is like that) and we headed for home followed by a multitude of sea birds from small shearwaters to giant Royal Albatross. The journey home started in bright, relatively calm conditions but ended in a gale and us strangely docking straight onto a trailer being hauled up the slip. We then disembarked down a set of steps.
Quite an experience all in.
The rest of the day was all about rain.
Today we should be going whale watching at 3:30pm. We've already been for a walk around the Kaikoura penninsula amongst the fur seals and gulls. We also found a little blue penguin in a 'solidified' state. Poor wee thing.
As we walked back over the cliffs we could see the whale watch boats in the distance. Every so often you would see them, along with two helicopters and a plane converge and you could see the whales blowing spray even from the shore.
It's a glorious sunny day today but the sea is still rough. It's calming all the time though and the signs are good for some whale spotting.
The hostel here is great and our room is right at the end about 50 yards from the railway. There are only two passenger trains a day but the cargo trains are quite regular and make the ground move as the roar past in the middle of the night. Gets a bit annoying after the novelty wears off.
I need to write down a couple of stories too. The other night a couple of Canadian pensioners were looking around for something in the hostel. One of them had lost her purse. They looked high and low. Eventually a young German girl found it behind her jam in the fridge. Obviously the Canadian woman was very happy. Her companion piped up 'This is what happens when old people go travelling'. True.
Also a story an american woman told me on the Doubtful Sound cruise. She had been on the phone to her grand-daughter back in Colorado. 'Look on the map. Can you see New Zealand? Can you see where Granny and Grandpa are?' 'We're at the bottom of the world. We're upside down. How come we don't fall off?' 'It's gravity Granny!!!' Came the reply. Watch out George Bush you've got competition.
Anyway I'm off to bask in the sun which Jamie seems to think never shows it's face.
Maybe abit of barracuda fishing tomorrow if we're lucky.
posted by PeterZ at 5:22 PM
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