Day 2: Dolphins and Scenery

If you have to be somewhere at 5:30am, it's probably best to do that when you're jet-lagged and your internal clock is all screwed up anyway.

This morning, while the sky was getting pink, ready for sunrise, we were at Dolphin Encounter, getting equipped and briefed for our swim.  Clad in wetsuits, we boarded a boat and went in search of pods of wild dolphins along the coast.  When we spotted one, the guides waited to see how they behaved - were they interested in the boat at all? Or did they act as if they didn't want to be disturbed.  We waited, in all our snorkeling gear, in the back of the boat, poised to slip off quietly, sitting mostly in the cold water, which was at about 53 degrees.

When we found a pod that wanted to play, off we went, shocking our systems with the cold.  Did I MENTION that the water was 53 degrees?  Within moments, my face felt like a block of ice, and I couldn't feel my fingers (apparently, they save the gloves for when they go in the winter, when the water is in the 40s). What the hell were we doing?  Then the dolphins came around and we forgot everything else.

Now, these dolphins are completely wild.  There is nothing done to feed them or train them or otherwise entice them to hang around the boats or swimmers. It's their choice, which is wonderful.  It's up to us to make it entertaining enough for them to stick around.  We were instructed that we can help this along by swimming along with them in whatever configurations they try, diving down, making eye contact, and singing or making other interesting noises.  We must have made for interesting sights and sounds, about 20 people swimming in circles while whistling and singing (one person hummed the Star Spangled Banner). 

What fun!  I had several playing with me at once, while I swam as fast as I can, zig-zagging and in circles while trying to emit high-pitched calls and whistles.  (Boy, I'm out of shape, aerobically - that was exhausting).  Ken dove down to follow one and ended up with one below him and one arcing above him.  The water was murky, so you never saw dolphins until they were right alongside, above, near, or under you.

After about 20-30minutes they got bored and we went back to the boat.  We found another group, and swam with them for a while, same experience.  At this point, though, I couldn't feel my toes, and it was definitely time for the on-board hot shower and changing into warm clothing. Fifty. Three. Degrees. Have I mentioned that? We spent more time just observing from the boat - mothers with babies, and other groups showing off, leaping and somersaulting out of the water, or running alongside the boat at top speed.

After a lovely lovely lovely long hot shower, and hot breakfast, we started to thaw out (did I mention that the water was 12 degrees Celcius; about 285 degrees Kelvin), and after a stop at the used book store in town (of course), headed north to Blenheim.

It's a picture perfect day - not a cloud in the sky, the ocean is a beautiful milky aqua. Rugged coastline, winding hilly roads perfect for a Porsche, which apparently Hertz doesn't rent.  Mountains in the background, vineyards and fields.  Pulled over whenever possible (this is harder than it would seem - roads here don't have much shoulder, and there isn't a "scenic viewpoint" turnoff every few miles like in the US.  Apparently scenery is much taken for granted, and rightly so.) to admire the view or look at seal colonies.

Just another day in New Zealand!