More boats, whales, dolphins and other animals.

After the very  exciting Greymouth I was happy to get out and leave for the other side of the island again. The westcoast is known for rain and mist and less good weather and I had enough autumn weather and wanted summer again. So off I went to the imposing place of Hamner springs. In winter a sky resort and spa place in summer just a spa place. Real warm springs that got turned into a swimming paradise with slides and all that stuff. A good reason for me to stay away from there.

The B&B was cute, I had my own cabin in the garden, a huge flowering jasmine next to the door so the smell was amazing. I love jasmine.

There for only one night to break up the drive across the island or it would have been more then 5 hours to Kaikoura. And as a long drive breakup place it was good. There was a small animal park where you could feed the alpaca and deer and even water buffalo. So I can now claim to have been licked by a water buffalo. And I have petted a wallaby. So a good day. The temperature was in the category hot hot hot. So also got some sunburn again. That spf 30 isn’t working as is should when it is so hot.

The next morning off to an early start and to Kaikoura I went. That is the sea wildlife paradise. And I had both the whale watching as dolphin swim going on during the 3 days I was there.

First day after arriving off to both the dolphin and the whale place to fill in all the forms that if anything happened it wasn’t their fault but my own stupidity. Okay. Then dinner.

Room again a small apartment, so no neighbors. Loved it. Views over the ocean.

Whale watching was amazing. And I had learned from the almost disaster at the fjords or sounds. I need seasickness medication. So had bought two different kinds the day before. The official kind and ginger pills. Had one of the official drowsy making kind and 2 of the ginger kind. And they worked, no seasickness just drowsy gingery burps all the trip.

The boat did it best to make people seasick. It was going all over the place. But I was good.

Best part of all, we saw 3 sperm whales. And those animals are big. So that was a good day, or morning. Because of the seasickness medication I was even able to have a big lunch after. No nausea at all. In the afternoon I did some shopping and window shopping and spend some of it looking like a beached whale on the lawn in front of my apartment in the sun myself. It was a good day.

Next morning I had to wake up at 4:30, get dressed and some yoghurt. And off to the dolphin place because had to be there at 5:15. Once there everybody had to change into those very flattering wetsuits. Three piece ones. And after about 5 minutes I was overheating, those things are hot when you are not in the water.

Then in complete wetsuit in to a bus to drive to the harbor to get into the right boat. Again seasickness medication taken. Might not be the best to be drowsy when swimming with dolphins but pucking my guts out isnt a good thing either.

Feeling overheated for 30 minutes while the boat is off to find the dolphins the dolphins are spotted and there are so many of them. Like hundreds and they are jumping and slapping and even doing summersaults.

Then the horn blasts and everybody is off into the water and trying to find or lure a dolphin. So how do you lure a dolphin, well they like to play and they like new things. So you sing to them even while trying to breath with that silly snorkel thingy in your mouth. Diving and turning around is also a good thing. Only try diving or turning fast while wearing a not so perfectly fitting wetsuit. You cant.

But I have some great pictures of the dolphins underwater and they did swim with me the few times I did manage to spin around like a lunatic. Hey everything for some dolphin interaction.

Again a good morning because back on shore by 9. So time for breakfast and then a long walk over the island.

And leave it to me to find the highest and steepest hill to climb, but the view again was amazing.