Kaikoura........... & heading north!

December 9th – Kaikoura

So happy to get back on the Magic bus for a touch more traveling before arriving back in Auckland on Sunday. Today’s departure from Christchurch was good to realize it is a nice city & the people & community are working hard to rebuild their grand old architecture & earth quake damaged buildings but it was also nice to realize that this is not somewhere that I want to make a great deal of effort to move to in order to see if I would like living & working here…………………… I am planning other adventures instead!! So leaving Christchurch meant heading north through the northern section of the Canterbury plains, scattered with more farms & ………………… you guessed it, sheep & cattle. We passed through places like Kaiapoi, Woodend, Waipoa, Omihi, Domett & Cheviot. Along the way the highway hugs the coastline allowing us passengers to feel like we were right in the crashing waves of the Pacific. The cliff faces run straight into the water so that in some parts tunnels were dugout for the roads. Out on the coastal rocks, seals were lounging in the midday sun. Our final destination for the day, the seaside town of Kaikoura.

Known for it marine wildlife, Kaikoura is a small little town encompassing a bay & its industry consists of fishing & tourism. Just off the coast, not far out in the Pacific Ocean is a deep canyon created by the 2 tectonic plates of the Indonesian & Australian converging creating the snow capped mountains not far in land and the subduction creating this massive canyon. The sperm whales, dusky dolphins, NZ fur seals, sealions, & many, many different types of fish crayfish, jellyfish & phytoplankton call this area home. It is nutrient rich & a bit of a protective zone so much so that the young adult male sperm whales are ‘dropped off’ by their moms to continue growing in this spot, becoming self sufficient. There were so many options of boat based adventures here that it was hard to choose between the whale watching, dolphin swimming/watching, seal swimming/watching of visiting the local sea colony. Since mom & I are looking forward to returning to Kaikoura during her visit in February, I thought it best to leave the whale watching to enjoy with her. That meant…….. dolphin swimming!!

The dusky dolphins, black & white & only found in the southern hemisphere, frequent Kaikoura with pods between 100 up to more than 700, apparently. I was off to try to swim with them  But first you must have the right gear (this is always one of the fun parts)……Shoulder to ankle wetsuit + jacket onesie style, flippers, headmask, goggles & snorkel. & yes we were a fine looking crew. The Dolphin Encounter took 3 boats out that afternoon, I had the pleasure of being on the ‘big blue boat’ with 12 other ‘swimmers’. Haha I use that word loosely as I really don’t think the majority of them were all that great a swimmers & thank goodness our wetsuits are buoyant (some may not have fared so well!). But I LOVED the boat ride out for the 20-30minutes it took to catch up with the pod. The boat cresting & plunging with each wave, with open back deck to observe the birds flying by & resting in the sea. Even saw a couple of wandering albatross, boy are they huge birds with massive wingspans!. As we all stood around getting our gear on, our guide & skipper (Ian, one of the owners of the company) got us pumped up & so excited. I was already excited but some were starting to look a little green from the ride out to open waters of the Pacific. One girl, unfortunately, ‘named’ several of the puke buckets on board (that’s what Jodie our guide calls it when you are just not enjoying the sea experience!). But then all of sudden we started spotting a couple of the dolphins diving in & out of the water, swimming faster & faster, almost trying to catch up with the boat. Ian slowed the engines, telling us to get ready to go in. Then there were dolphins everywhere……….. all sides of the boat in every direction, diving in & out, jumping, backflipping, even somersaulting, making breath sounds so close to the boat, like we were one of them. *LOUD HORN* Swimmers in!! I was off to be one of the pod. We were given instructions on not to touch the dolphins, that they are indeed wild animals but they like to be entertained so that’s what would benefit our experience………….. be like a dolphin…………….. be a dolphin. Well, I definitely gave it a go, keeping my arms at my side, I beeped & mimicked their noises, making dives down. & it worked they were so close & all around me & the other swimmers. Making eye contact & spinning with them was definitely one of my favourite things, I constantly found myself laughing as I was doing it. I also like to think they smiled back but not sure  There were also mom & baby dolphin pairs, which were so fun to be around as the mom’s were protective but also allowing us to be there, the babies would be respond to every move their mother’s made, an inch to the left or the right, or jump now! So fun. We got in & back to the boat several times to catch up with the pod, spending what felt like a long time in the water & definitely had a great workout swimming with & like the dolphins. We then got on the boat, stripped our gear off & took photos of the dolphins all around. The skipper & guide figure that 2 pods joined together as we were out there for a total of over 300 dolphins. One of the most amazing, & surprisingly exciting adventures yet!

Back in Kaikoura, it was a low key rest of the evening after expending all that energy. Took in the waters of the bay, the green rolling hills, the snow capped mountains & a little seafood chowder to top off the night.



Back up to the North Island tomorrow, time for the ferry!

 

December 10th – Kaikoura – Picton – Interislander Ferry – Wellington

After leaving seaside Kaikoura, we continued to wind our way along the seaside coast, stopping at the Ohau seal colony. Boy, they are fun to watch. For being so large & awkward, they are definitely powerful, strong mammals. In the water, they look so smooth & gentle, frolicking in the waves. But watching them & hearing them bark at each other, slap each other around & even ‘kick’ one another off a rock is pretty amazing………….. from a safe distance.

Today was a fairly quick journey up through Marlborough Sounds, wine country, up to Picton to catch the Interislander ferry back to Wellington. With it being a windy day, I did not enjoy the scenic route as I did on my way down, taking the indoor window seat instead. But I sure did think of Sarah & Andy & their cruising days  Especially as the seas & swells grew once we got to the open part of the strait…………….. saw some motion sickness bags in use & many people walking sideways through the corridors. I took it easy & read my latest hostel book find. So back in Wellington & on to Rotoroa tomorrow for my final night away before Auckland.

To be honest, there is likely not to be another update until I am safe & sound in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea with Uncle Bev, Aunt Donna & Ellie later this coming week (Thursday or Friday) at the earliest. I have loved sharing these photos & stories with so many people out there, I will keep it up 



Love & Miss you all xoxoxoxox Oh & Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays 