Sailing with a burly, white-bearded captain named Butler on the Gemini Galaxsea, the plan was to swim with wild dolphins on a sunny Saturday morning. Though he couldn't guarantee the sightings, hopes were high as we sailed from Tauranga, past Mount Maunganui and out to sea.
Excitement peaked when after about two hours, Butler and his crew spotted our prize. About 10 grey and yellow-striped dolphins gliding through the clear blue water.
JACKPOT!!
But before I could dive head first into the cool water (I didn't even want to waste time putting on a wetsuit), we spotted them -- tiny babies swimming along side their protective mothers. That sight, though quite beautiful, meant no swimming for the tourists. (It's a protection thing for both parties.)
We followed or were followed by the dolphins for over an hour. I could hear the high pitch squeals and even felt the water on my feet as they jumped about, but that was as close as I got. It was a cool experience, but I'm not going to lie, it was a little disappointing.
I did get a chance to get into the water, I even jumped off the roof of the boat, but by then, the dolphins were long gone.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Quick update
Happy New Year!! (a little late with that). I've been a little quiet and since I would like to think there are hundreds, no thousands, of people clamouring for my next blog post, here it is.
So, what's going on in New Zealand? Rain. I mean its rained almost every day since December. The two visits we've had from friends have been highlighted by downpours. The Kiwis swear this hasn't happened in years. We're all a little sick of it. I read that it has something to do with La Nina. Seems she was so excited about my trip to NZ that she wanted to tag along. I realize that some of you are dealing with snow and cold temperatures, but this is my pity party.
Despite the rain, Jen and I went to another "concert" on Sunday night. What I thought was going to be a low-key acoustic performance from Tiki Taane turned out to be a Sunday night rave with glow sticks, bad dancing (I saw a grown man twirling) and experimental house music. Good thing the tickets were cheap.
Burning my bra: I've got a pair of jobs that have kept me very busy the past few weeks. I work at the Waihi Beach Top 10 as a cleaner in the mornings and at the Waihi Beach Surf Club in the kitchen and the bar in the afternoons. They've both given me a chance to hang out with Kiwis, who like to tease me about my accent.
There are some big trips coming up, so expect the blog to pick back up.
Thanks for reading.
So, what's going on in New Zealand? Rain. I mean its rained almost every day since December. The two visits we've had from friends have been highlighted by downpours. The Kiwis swear this hasn't happened in years. We're all a little sick of it. I read that it has something to do with La Nina. Seems she was so excited about my trip to NZ that she wanted to tag along. I realize that some of you are dealing with snow and cold temperatures, but this is my pity party.
Despite the rain, Jen and I went to another "concert" on Sunday night. What I thought was going to be a low-key acoustic performance from Tiki Taane turned out to be a Sunday night rave with glow sticks, bad dancing (I saw a grown man twirling) and experimental house music. Good thing the tickets were cheap.
Burning my bra: I've got a pair of jobs that have kept me very busy the past few weeks. I work at the Waihi Beach Top 10 as a cleaner in the mornings and at the Waihi Beach Surf Club in the kitchen and the bar in the afternoons. They've both given me a chance to hang out with Kiwis, who like to tease me about my accent.
There are some big trips coming up, so expect the blog to pick back up.
Thanks for reading.
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