Sunday, February 15
We woke up on Sunday to an unseasonably cold and rainy day. We both secretly hoped that our “Swim with the Dolphins” trip would be canceled because swimming in these conditions was not very appealing. There are several operators who run a swim with the dolphins trip and they all have the same guarantee: if you don’t see any dolphins, you get a voucher to come back anytime for a free trip. It was a 3.5hr boat ride that cruised around the Bay of Islands looking in the dolphins’ usual feeding/hanging out spots. If we were lucky and the dolphins were acting playful, we could jump in and swim with them.
Today, Rachel and I were content to sit in the warm cabin of the boat and watch the birds fishing next to us and extravagant homes hidden in private coves. After about 2.5hrs, the captain was looking more desperately and we were afraid they were going to ‘see’ some dolphins far off and call it a successful day. Soon, he came on the loudspeaker to say that the dolphins didn’t seem to be out playing and we’d be getting a free trip. Rachel and I rescheduled for Monday and tried to stay dry for the rest of the day in cafes and shops in Russell.
We woke up on Sunday to an unseasonably cold and rainy day. We both secretly hoped that our “Swim with the Dolphins” trip would be canceled because swimming in these conditions was not very appealing. There are several operators who run a swim with the dolphins trip and they all have the same guarantee: if you don’t see any dolphins, you get a voucher to come back anytime for a free trip. It was a 3.5hr boat ride that cruised around the Bay of Islands looking in the dolphins’ usual feeding/hanging out spots. If we were lucky and the dolphins were acting playful, we could jump in and swim with them.
Today, Rachel and I were content to sit in the warm cabin of the boat and watch the birds fishing next to us and extravagant homes hidden in private coves. After about 2.5hrs, the captain was looking more desperately and we were afraid they were going to ‘see’ some dolphins far off and call it a successful day. Soon, he came on the loudspeaker to say that the dolphins didn’t seem to be out playing and we’d be getting a free trip. Rachel and I rescheduled for Monday and tried to stay dry for the rest of the day in cafes and shops in Russell.
Monday, February 16
Monday’s weather was better and there were only about 12 people on today’s cruise, half of which were on yesterday’s failed mission, so the crew was especially excited to find some dolphins early and throw us into the water for a swim. It costs $30 extra to swim with the dolphins and from all the pictures we saw it was definitely worth it. We quickly found a pod of about 18 dolphins and we suited up in our masks and snorkels. The captain checked and confirmed that there were no babies in the pod and that they were acting playful. The plan was for everyone to slip quietly into the water (it was news to me that slapping/splashing the water – the way Sandy calls Flipper over – is actually a distress signal and keeps dolphins away) and swim over to the dolphins while making ‘weird and playful’ noises to keep the dolphins interested. Once the boat was in position, the captain told two of the swimmers to get in and swim over to the dolphins. They proceeded to basically do a cannonball into the water and by the time they surfaced the dolphins were 100 meters away. The captain repositioned the boat and had everyone get into the water making ‘interesting noises’. Rachel and I both sucked up a bunch of ocean water hearing the cacophony of the chirping, whistling, moaning coming from the group in unison. There was one especially talented lady who could make bizarre noises while both inhaling and exhaling. Most of the group was laughing so hard at her that we’d forgotten about the dolphins and were just trying to stay afloat.
The second time the boat dropped us off, I was the second swimmer in. I raced out to where the dolphins were and was lucky to see one pass 3 feet in front of me. It actually freaked me out. The water was pretty dark and I didn’t really expect to see a dolphin. As soon as I saw it, I popped up and swam back to where the rest of the group was swimming. I loved the idea of swimming with the dolphins, but not all by myself. By the time I gained enough nerve to swim back to them, they had temporarily disappeared again.
At this point, Rachel and I decided that the companies had come up with these “swim with the dolphins’ trips just to make a quick additional $30 per person because it killed about 1.5hrs worth of time and everyone was so excited about the prospect of swimming with dolphins that the crew didn’t have to continue reciting their script about the surrounding area and problems facing today’s marine wildlife. Anyway, it was quite exciting and we jumped in the third time more laughing at how funny we all looked piling in one after another desperately trying to catch up with the disinterested dolphins.
In the end, we didn’t get to swim and play with the dolphins like the pictures showed…but we ran into a fellow traveler in Auckland who gave us a secret hint about where do swim with dolphins down on the South Island unsupervised. We’ll get back to you about that in a few months. (I’ve gotten some video footage of several events, including swimming with the dolphins, but I just realized I left the cable to transfer video in the US despite the 100+ yards of cables I brought. I’ll upload it as soon as I find a new cable here.)
Monday’s weather was better and there were only about 12 people on today’s cruise, half of which were on yesterday’s failed mission, so the crew was especially excited to find some dolphins early and throw us into the water for a swim. It costs $30 extra to swim with the dolphins and from all the pictures we saw it was definitely worth it. We quickly found a pod of about 18 dolphins and we suited up in our masks and snorkels. The captain checked and confirmed that there were no babies in the pod and that they were acting playful. The plan was for everyone to slip quietly into the water (it was news to me that slapping/splashing the water – the way Sandy calls Flipper over – is actually a distress signal and keeps dolphins away) and swim over to the dolphins while making ‘weird and playful’ noises to keep the dolphins interested. Once the boat was in position, the captain told two of the swimmers to get in and swim over to the dolphins. They proceeded to basically do a cannonball into the water and by the time they surfaced the dolphins were 100 meters away. The captain repositioned the boat and had everyone get into the water making ‘interesting noises’. Rachel and I both sucked up a bunch of ocean water hearing the cacophony of the chirping, whistling, moaning coming from the group in unison. There was one especially talented lady who could make bizarre noises while both inhaling and exhaling. Most of the group was laughing so hard at her that we’d forgotten about the dolphins and were just trying to stay afloat.
The second time the boat dropped us off, I was the second swimmer in. I raced out to where the dolphins were and was lucky to see one pass 3 feet in front of me. It actually freaked me out. The water was pretty dark and I didn’t really expect to see a dolphin. As soon as I saw it, I popped up and swam back to where the rest of the group was swimming. I loved the idea of swimming with the dolphins, but not all by myself. By the time I gained enough nerve to swim back to them, they had temporarily disappeared again.
At this point, Rachel and I decided that the companies had come up with these “swim with the dolphins’ trips just to make a quick additional $30 per person because it killed about 1.5hrs worth of time and everyone was so excited about the prospect of swimming with dolphins that the crew didn’t have to continue reciting their script about the surrounding area and problems facing today’s marine wildlife. Anyway, it was quite exciting and we jumped in the third time more laughing at how funny we all looked piling in one after another desperately trying to catch up with the disinterested dolphins.
In the end, we didn’t get to swim and play with the dolphins like the pictures showed…but we ran into a fellow traveler in Auckland who gave us a secret hint about where do swim with dolphins down on the South Island unsupervised. We’ll get back to you about that in a few months. (I’ve gotten some video footage of several events, including swimming with the dolphins, but I just realized I left the cable to transfer video in the US despite the 100+ yards of cables I brought. I’ll upload it as soon as I find a new cable here.)
Tuesday-Friday (February 17-20)
Rain clouds descended on the Northland for our last few days up here, but it was overshadowed by our increasing concerns with our precious van. Our van was now consuming about 1 gallon of oil for every tank of gas. We nervously laughed about what we’d do with our beloved van. I was still baffled by how enormous the sunroof was. Anyway, we headed for the northern tip of NZ, with a two day stop in the Karikari peninsula – a tip given to us by a fellow camper in Russell. She told it was a quiet campground right in the middle of a beautiful cove. It was about a 15mile drive on a gravel road (something we’re getting more and more used to) and it was beautiful. We actually ended up spending an extra day because it was so tranquil. We went swimming and gave the skim board that came with our van a whirl. 
Next we headed for Cape Reigna, where you can see the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean violently collide right in front of you…so we heard. It was raining and cloudy, but we walked down the beautifully designed pathway to the lighthouse overlooking the meeting waters. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of some waves crashing on the rocks of the west coast and barely made out the smooth beach on the east coast. At first, it seemed quite simple and unimpressive, but knowing that the nearest landmass was over 1000 miles away and the size of the waves had us frozen and speechless for over 20 minutes.
Despite the rain, it was time for some reckless fun, so we headed for the huge sand dunes along Ninety Mile Beach (actually only 56 miles) for some sand boarding. We rented the boards from a local guy who parks his van at the base of the dunes each day and rents boards to anyone wanting a super fast and fun ride down the steep faces of the dunes. When business is slow, he grabs a board and rides down the best lines himself. He showed us the best line.
Rachel quickly learned how to steer and control speed and beat the owner’s longest run on her third trip down the dunes. It was a long hike up the face and a quick and exhilarating trip down. My first two runs on the bunny slopes were ok but when I tried to keep up with the likes of Rachel and the owner, I crashed and crashed and crashed. My pockets were soon overflowing with sand and my back ached from repeatedly slamming and twisting after each crash.
Rachel quickly learned how to steer and control speed and beat the owner’s longest run on her third trip down the dunes. It was a long hike up the face and a quick and exhilarating trip down. My first two runs on the bunny slopes were ok but when I tried to keep up with the likes of Rachel and the owner, I crashed and crashed and crashed. My pockets were soon overflowing with sand and my back ached from repeatedly slamming and twisting after each crash.
Our last stop before heading south was Waipoua Forest for Tane Mahuta (God of the Forest). We pulled over at the trail head expecting to walk for about 15 minutes to see a big tree. We walked for less than a minute and saw some a clearing with some people looking at something. We walked out from under the trees and saw the biggest living thing I have ever seen. It was so big that Rachel and I spent 10 minutes trying to take a picture that would somehow depict its size. We were unsuccessful, but the picture below shows Rachel standing about 50 feet in front of the tree. SO BIG!
Sounds like tons of fun. I hope y'all get a chance with the dolphins later. Thanks for continuing to blog. Always a nice break from work to read up on your travels. Wish I was having the same fun! : )
ReplyDeleteSafe Travels.