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When the sun came up we got our first real peek at the South Island and we were very surprised at how different it was from the North; it was more green, less populated and seemed bigger and bolder in everything. There being no rest for the wicked we didn't have a lot of time to comprehend this unexpected change and began the long drive to the east coast, and a small seaside town named Kaikoura. When we reached Kaikoura we drove along the coast for about two miles admiring splendid views of the beach and the Pacific Ocean. We noticed, on the rocks, a couple of seals bathing in the strong sunshine and pulled over the car to take a better look and take a few snaps. We walked down to the shore and climbed over the rocks until we were less than a metre away from two huge seals taking a nap. After taking hundreds of photos of a completely unexpected experience we took a better look around and realised we were stood in the middle of a massive seal colony. Not one of these beautiful animals seemed concerned or annoyed that we had interrupted their siesta but we didn't stay long and neither of us wanted to know what would happen if we got any closer; they really are massive creatures! We had lunch and drinks in the town centre which is filled with surf shops and seafood bars and booked an axcursion for the next day; swimming with wild dolphins in the Pacific Ocean!
Waking at 4.30am we excitedly and apprehensively dressed and made our way to the pier to catch a boat out to sea. We changed into our wetsuits and flippers, checked our snorkelling gear and goggles and prepared ourselves for the experience of a lifetime. Dan, being a bit of a water baby, was already hanging off the back of the boat while I, with a massive phobia of the ocean and all things shark-like, took a little longer to take the plunge. We stopped approximately a mile from the coast where one of the worlds largest underwater canyons is located and began our dophin watch, looking for signs of a pod we could join as they came back to the canyon at dawn. We didn't have to wait long before we spotted a pod of about 50 dolphins circling the boat and waiting to play. Without hesitation Daniel jumped in and began calling the dolphins to him by humming into the snorkel. Sure enough, within seconds, he was surrounded. I, on the other hand, was still perched on the end of the boat missing heartbeats and trying not to think of Jaws! After a minute or two, I closed my eyes, held my breath and jumped in to the freezing cold of the Pacific at sunrise. In no time at all I had no regrets. Opening my eyes I came face to face with dolphin after dolphin and, being one of the smaller people in the sea, they were much more curious about what who I was and what I could do. They would dive under me, swim around me and next to me, and flip over me, showing off their acrobatic skills. The dolphins would make eye contact frequently and swim in circles with you until that contact was lost. It was almsot possible to communicate with them, or atleast have a basic understanding that this was happening beacuse they were allowing it, not because I was. We managed to keep this pod entertained for about 20 minutes before they grew bored of us and swam off towards the depths of the canyon. We returned to the boat and travelled about another half a mile away from the shore where we found a bigger pod of atleast 150 dolphins with whom we swam and played for another half an hour. It was mating season so we caught sight of dolphins flirting, courting and mating aswell as new born dolphins being nursed by their mothers! When we returned to the boat for the final time the cold really hit us and so we immediately changed from our wetsuits into dry clothes and hugged a hot chocolate. Once warm again we stepped out onto the front deck for our journey back to shore, along the way being priveleged enough to spot a flock of albatross circling the boat. These birds our almost mythical with pure white feathers and a wing span of up to 11 feet.
Once we were back on land we jumped in a very rare hot shower and drove back to the campsie to catch up on the sleep we had missed out on and recover from swimming against the current for the last hour. We didn't move until the next morning; we were, once again, exhausted and started to wonder if we would need a holiday to recover from this trip! After two days we left Kaikoura and made our way west inland towards Hanmer Springs, a huge park of 11 thermal rock pools ranging in temperature from 21 - 41 degrees celsius! Despite the smell of rotten eggs (sulphur) this was extremely relaxing and much needed. We spent the entire afternoon in the pools and bathed in the sun until dusk. It took two showers to get rid of the sulphur smell but our skin was smooth and we felt great!
We camped near Hanmer Springs that night and early in the morning drove all the way down to Franz Josef Glacier passing through Ghost Town and Shantytown. Ghost
Town was an old mining village that was mysteriously abandoned in the late 1950's with no apparent explanation. There are still nets at the windows, washing on the lines and patio furniture in the garden! It was a little disturbing to see this little village, once pretty and homely, so dishevelled and we wondered what made all of these residents up and leave so suddenly without packing a thing! Shantytown was like something out of Chessington, a town made to look like the old Wild West! Although we thought this was amusing we had once again been a victim to the tourist board and left pretty quickly to get to the city of Franz Josef Glacier before dark.
Thought of the Day: Fear will not stop you being eaten by a Giant Squid!
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