So here we are in the sunny/cloudy/rainy/cold/hot/summery/wintery South Island. The ferry over from the North to the South island was early in the day and a bit choppy but there was a blues band in the bar and we fought off seasickness by sharing a macaroni cheese lunch.
The South island is noticably quieter than the North but beautiful. We drove through the Marlborough wine region en route to Kaikoura which is where we currently are. Yesterday we went on a boat to see the local dusky dolphin population. The weather was fortunately amazing and so the sea was really clear. The only downside is that our sunburn stepped it up a gear. There were between 300 and 500 dolphins playing around, jumping and eating and mating. Sitting on the front of the boat, watching the dolphins just beneath you, surfing on the bow wave is one of those things that you really must experience in your lifetime. They're so playful and seem to love doing it that it seems to rub off on you a bit. Our photos don't really do the situation justice as we'd see a dolphin jump and then by the time we'd taken a photo there was just a splash. You'll have to use your imagination a bit, or even better, come do it. Mention my name for a 5% discount.
So today we're heading up to a cafe on the beach that specialises in bbq lobster (a whole one for about 15 pounds) as lobster, or crayfish, is THE thing to eat here. Kaikoura is Maori for "eat crayfish", so we figured we do as it said. Then we're driving up in to the mountains to a thermal hot pool type place called Hamner Springs. After our exertions on the boat yesterday and to help us digest the lobster, we felt we deserved the day lounging around in a hot pool, drinking cocktails and looking at the mountains. Tough life.