I am going to break with tradition and chronological order and say - FABULOUS, WONDERFUL, AWESOME, FANTASTIC, MAARVELOUS, SPECTACULAR, STUPENDOUS!
TODAY I SWAM WITH ONE OF THE SMALLEST AND RAREST DOLPHINS IN THE WORLD AND THEY WERE SO CLOSE I COULD ALMOST TOUCH THEM!!!!!!!!
<ok, breathe>
Today we are in Christchurch (and it's Friday) and this morning we got up before dawn (well before); at 5AM and headed out to Akaroa which is a winding hour and a half's drive out of Christchurch. Akaroa is Maori for "Long Harbour" and the site of the Black Cat Cruises Dolphin Encounter. We donned wet suits and boots and shuffled down the wharf an onto out boat for a three hour trip to find and swim with Hector's Dolphins. It was a rainy day but our slightly dampened bodies and spirits were quickly forgotten when less than 20 minutes into our trip we spotted a pod (a group of dolphins) and determined that it was ok to swim with them (if there had been any calves in the group the swim would not have happened).
We spent over an hour in the water and by the end of it I was mildly hypothermic (which I was oblivious to until back on the boat). Soon in the water we were surrounded by dolphins!! We were supposed to make noise to attract the dolphins and I soon realized the manual winder on my disposable 35mm waterproof camera made a clicking noise that the dolphins liked and I was from time to time surrounded by three or four of the marvelous creatures. I floated on the surface, mask and snorkel in place and watched the underwater ballet and the dolphins swooped and and spun around me. It was magical. Magical doesn't do it justice! It defies description!
Neither do the pictures (of which I have very few); makes me really wish I had splurged on an underwater digital camera. I was close enough to almost touch them, but alas my cheap little camera didn't pick them up. BUT STILL AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!!
The drive back was rainy and uneventful; I'm really getting the hang of driving on the other side of the road!
This afternoon we wandered around a rainy Christchurch looking in souvenir shops and I got a great deal on a polar fleece jacket and even Tigger got a little shirt. Anyway, not much more to report on from today, maybe I need to back up a few days now and review the past few days....
Monday - Nelson
We got to sleep in a bit on Monday! Ok, we got up at 6AM instead of 5:30AM. Then we went for a run to the Centre of New Zealand (the actual geographic centre of the country), which was up a rather steep hill, but offered a great panoramic view of Nelson and the surrounding area and then we ran back down a different way that took us though a farmer's field where he kept his sheep (we nicknamed the run the Sheep Shit Shuffle).
After breakfast we wandered around Nelson in the morning (I was in a futile search for a second battery for my camera - apparently Fuji isn't a popular brand here (or maybe my camera is so new that no one stocks the battery for it - even the Fuji photo shop didn't carry the battery - I spent an inordinate amount of time chatting up various shop clerks in my vain search.
We spent time in Trafalgar Square (not THAT one) that is the street around the main church in Nelson (so technically, I guess, it's ON Trafalgar Square rather than IN Trafalgar Square), side streets off of the road have historical buildings so we wandered off to find South Street where a row of historic houses that are now mostly self-catered accommodations, and an old school house (which is conveniently only open from 1-4 PM on Sundays - and it was Monday morning when we were there) which is off another side street off Trafalgar Square.
After a late lunch at the Founders Brewery and Cafe which is in a historic park (like Fort Edmonton Park in Edmonton) we headed out to one of the local beaches called Tahunanui where we walked for about an hour and a half (since it was overcast and too cold to swim or just sit about on the sand.
Since L and I had iffy stomachs, we bought some groceries and made dinner in our room before doing glamorous things like making picnic lunch for tomorrow, doing a load of laundry and then turning in for the night. We are just a group of wild and crazy people!
Tuesday - Nelson (Able Tasman National Park)
Tuesday we headed off for a day trip to Able Tasman National Park for a Kayak and Hike adventure. Feeling self indulgent, we took a shuttle bus to the start of our adventure which was about an hour's drive out of Nelson at a little spot called Marahau.
After finding out guide Steve and getting kitted out in our Kayaking gear we loaded our gear into the kayaks and the kayaks onto a trailer pulled by a tractor and hopped on another trailer (pulled by the same tractor, but in front of the trailer with the kayaks) and headed down to the shore.
The day was perfect! Sunny, bright and wonderful, the sea was calm and the kayaking was perfect. We stopped at about half way (only did a two hour kayak) and pulled up on to shore at Apple Tree Bay (which apparently no longer has an apple tree on the shore anymore), had some cookies and a drink before getting back out on the water for the second hour of kayaking.
We saw a Little Blue Penguin! At a great distance and all it was doing was floating about on its tummy, but it was my first wild penguin - so still very cool.
After lunch on a second beach, we started our three hour hike through the Park back to were we began out trip. It was a little hot and by the end of the hike most of us were wishing we'd chosen the full day's kayaking instead, it might have been easier. But there were some awesome vistas and it was a nice hike.
Wednesday - Nelson to Kaikoura
Another 0530 start! We spent the morning travelling and stopped outside Kaikoura to see a Sea Lion Colony - we stood and watched the little pups play about in the tide pools, fighting and splashing about. Headed into Kaikoura and had lunch near Fyffe Quay at another Fur Seal colony, before heading up a steep hill to begin a two hour walk (or Tramp as the Kiwis call it), to South Bay and back, skirting the top of the cliffs that make up the Kaikoura coastline in the area.
Unfortunately, the day was a foggy one, so not able to see the surrounding mountains that are purported to be rather breathtaking.
After checking in, we wandered the beach near our hotel before going out to search for sustenance.
Thursday - Kaikoura to Christchurch
After another early start, in order to get into Christchurch with plenty of time to see the city. We made good time on the roads and managed to get into Christchurch by 10AM. Lucky for us, our room at the motel was ready and waiting, so we were able to off-load out gear and have a quick tea before seeing the sights.
Christchurch was designed to look like a British town, and a lot of things were named accordingly (there is a river running through it called the Avon). The weather was not bright and sunny (overcast and threatening to rain) so we forgo the gondola ride up to see the city from above but we did climb 137 twisty steps up the Christchurch Cathedral's Bell Tower to see the town's centre from above.
Later, we had a nice lunch down town and after seeing most of the sights we walked back to the motel (which is within walking distance to downtown ChCh) to get ready to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant near the hotel called Strawberry Fare, which was originally a desert shop that branched out, and if I had seen the desserts before I'd order my main meal I would have just ordered dessert - to heck with proper nutrition.
Which brings me back to today at Akaroa and the ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS Dolphin Swim.
It's late here now, well after 11pm and we have yet another early start tomorrow. It's blowing a gale and bucketing down here and isn't likely to get much better; apparently there are remnants of tropical storms that are set to deluge parts of the S Island for the next week or so. Oh, well, what do I care, I got to swim with dolphins today and fulfill one of the goals I have had for over 20 years!
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!
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