Goodbye Kaikoura, Hello Akaroa
Well apologies for the delay in this weeks blog but since leaving Kaikoura we have been on the move quite a bit and then on the Banks Peninsula the charges for using the Internet were rather high so we decided to leave it till we got back to Auckland.

Saturday - A chilled out and relaxed day.

Sunday - A beautiful, breezy morning as we prepared to go in search once again for the bird with the largest wingspan in the world; The Wandering Albatross.
We were soon out on the water, racing across the deep Kaikoura canyon, the further out we got the greater the swell became. Large waves of water rolled towards us, lifting our little boat and then dropping us again, it was like being a little toy boat in a bath with a giant wave machine!

It was not long before a few Cape Pigeons started following the boat and then, over the rolling horizon a massive bird flew in, Wandering Albatross and we had not even lowered the chum yet!! Fantastic!

Once the chum was lowered the action really started, birds were everywhere including Wandering Albatrosses, Rachael's favourite the Salvin's Mollymawk with its striking markings, New Zealand White-capped Mollymawk and Subantartic Black-browed Albatross.(Mollymawks are smaller Albatrosses) Hutton's, Sooty and Buller's Shearwaters circled, gliding just over the swell all around the boat. It brilliant, even with the boat rocking side to side. After quite a while we headed to calmer waters and found Black billed Gulls, one of the rarest gulls in the world as well as Fur Seals and White-fronted Terns.

As we headed back to Kaikoura, hugging the coastline to keep out of the swell, 15 to 20 Dusky Dolphins surfaced close to the boat! We watched them as we zipped by, surfing in the wake of our boat and even saw a young calf breaching out of the water!

It was an awesome bird watching trip, with loads of new birds for us both and the added surprise of seeing the Dusky Dolphins.

Back on dry, stable land we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening taking photos, birdwatching and rock pooling at South Bay, enjoying the array of wildlife around the Kaikoura Peninsula.

Monday - Surfs up dude! This afternoon Rachael, Lee and Laura went surfing at Mangamauau Beach, 5km up the coast from Kaikoura. It was a mostly sunny and warm day, the only problem was that it was just after high tide which meant that the waves were breaking closer to a rather rocky shore. Never-the-less there were some waves breaking further out, they looked pretty cool and we wanted to try it out so we headed off.

Once we'd managed to make our way into the water we paddled out, paddling up steep walls of water that rose in front of us, peaking over the top and then dropping down the other side. We then spent the next couple of hours attempting to catch those waves and not get crashed into the rocky shore, something Lee and Laura seemed to do easily, Lee even managed to stand up a few times. Rachael on the other hand couldn't seem to get off the board before being swept onto the shore and ended up being bumped around the rocks giving her some rather colourful bruises.

After a while our arms started to tire and the water started to numb our limbs, so we scrambled back onto shore through the tumble of surf and stones and then went back to the warmth of our camper van.

Tuesday - As expected we awoke with aching muscles and sore bruises, Rachael a little more so than the others. We spent the morning cleaning and tidying the van, getting ready to leave the following day.

We then headed to the New Wharf to enjoy the gorgeous sunny day with some more fishing. The scene was perfect, high greeny brown mountains topped with white fluffy clouds, dropping down to an ocean that was a bright deep blue shimmering in the bright sunlight that sparkled on the tips of small wavelets, whipped up by a cool breeze.

We sat at the end of the wooden wharf that looked rather rickety and spent the afternoon fishing. As the afternoon progressed Lee was very successful, catching numerous small Wrasse, Laura and Rachael were not quite as successful with loads of bites but those darn fish always seemed to wiggle away at the last moment! But still it was a glorious afternoon, very chilled and relaxed compared to yesterdays surfing antics.

By 6pm we were all fished out, and headed to the movie theatre returning to the campsite later that evening to a glorious star filled sky and a beautiful, glowing moon that sparkled on a black velvety ocean.

Wednesday - A beautiful morning waved us off from Kaikoura, a place that we all felt really at home and attached to, a marine wildlife heaven and an unforgettable experience.

Glorious sunshine followed us as we moved away from the ocean and through the mountains, heading for Hanmer Springs. The road twisted and wound its way through steep mountain valleys, covered with green pine forests and towering over rushing blue streams running over wide pebbly stream beds. Deep gorges cut through the landscape like open scars, sheer sides dropping down to a narrow river flowing below.

Late afternoon we arrived in Hanmer Springs, famous for its thermal pools, nestled in a circle of mountain peaks with bare escarpments and deep green pine forests. We donned our swimming costumes and headed straight for the hot pools. We spent over an hour relaxing in the pools that ranged from 36° to 41°c, until our feet and hands turned pink and wrinkly and then headed to our camp for a BBQ watching the sky turn purpley and the clouds turn from golden yellow to pinkish.

Thursday - Continued our journey to Christchurch through the mountains and as we went the clouds broke up revealing a hot sunny day. Once in the Garden City we parked up and headed to the Cathedral Square where while Mum collected our completed Visa we wondered round the market. We then hopped onto the towns charming 1920s Tram service that takes you on a tour around the city centre. The City was charming and beautiful especially in the sunshine.

Once we'd got back to the van we headed for the International Antarctic Centre and spent a couple of hours wondering round learning all about the Antarctic, its exploration and wildlife.
They had a really interesting display of Little Blue Penguins that we watched being fed and got a chance to ask a few questions about the species.

Back outside we left Christchurch and headed out towards the Banks Peninsula, and Akaroa where we have there is a good chance of finding Hector's Dolphins. The smallest and one of the rarest dolphins in the world, with only around 5000 left, these dolphins are only found around New Zealand.

Created by three volcanic eruptions the peninsula's steep valleys and twisting, winding roads stand out in start contrast to the flat ground around Christchurch. We stopped near Lake Ellesmere at the edge of the peninsula for dinner before driving the final leg over the peninsula and round Akaroa harbour to the town of Akaroa itself.

Friday - We had a leisurely morning waiting for the low misty clouds to clear around the harbour, before heading down into the town to explore. The french influence on the town is very clear, with french colonial style houses and street names all starting with Rue. As we booked ourselves onto a harbour cruise that afternoon the sun finally came out from behind the clouds warming the day.

By 3pm we had walked back up the rather steep hill to our camp, got our things together and made our way back down to the main wharf to join the boat that would take us on a tour of the harbour and its wildlife. It was hot sitting on the bow of the boat enjoying a complimentary drink and watching a cheeky pair of sparrows hop around the deck. Soon we were heading out over the calm bluey green water, watching the whole of Akaroa harbour reveal its self before us. Created by a massive volcanic eruption, the crater used to be a lake that was then breached by the sea creating this long, natural harbour, the volcanic sediment creating murky water that is ideal for Hector's Dolphins to come in and hide from predators such as sharks.

Within five minutes we had spotted what we had hoping most of all to see, Hector's Dolphins. Three of them headed straight for the boat, swam by and then disappeared. We were so surprised to see them so soon, we had imagined they would be a little more tricky to find!

As we continued along the eastern coast of the harbour we found more dolphins and the afternoon just got better and better. The Hector's Dolphins cruised around the boat at a much more leisurely pace that the Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura, but were still extremely playful. They loved to bow ride, turning to take a look at us leaning over the bow looking at them! One even turned completely flashing its white belly at us. They turned this way and that, chasing each other under water, swimming upside down and tail slapping, others frequently spy hopped, poking their heads out of the water to take a good look around. They are gorgeous with their distinctively rounded dorsal fin and puffing blow, we all loved watching and photographing them in the beautiful calm waters of the harbour.

We spent quite a while with the dolphins before heading further towards the mouth of the harbour where we went into Cathedral Cave, a huge cavern that echoed with the sound of our engine and the calls of Spotted Shags resting on the ledges.
Out of the mouth of the harbour and the swell increased, with the wind whipping up white caps on the blue ocean. We passed by hundreds of White-fronted Terns that all took off at once turning the sky white with birds. Bobbing amongst the waves were a few White-flippered Penguins, a subspecies of the Little Blue Penguin that only nest around the Banks Peninsula coast.

As we headed round the coast into Damons Bay we once again came across three Hectors Dolphins surfacing amongst the spray of the waves. The skipper took the boat close in to the rocks of the bay giving us a wonderful view of New Zealand Fur Seal pups learning to swim in the large rock pools - they were sooooo cute!

As we returned to Akaroa Harbour and made our way back to port the change in the weather conditions was remarkable. Large clouds bubbled up over the mountains withe increasingly strong wind that now came straight at us, whipping up small white caps in the harbour itself. It was pretty chilly and bumpy on the bow now, so we headed for the shelter at the back of the boats. Still from there we were able to spot Hector's Dolphins surfacing quickly amongst the waves.

That evening we were still buzzing from our first encounter with these small, rare and rather quirky dolphins.

Saturday - We woke before dawn on a mission, a mission to swim with those beautiful Hectors Dolphins we had seen the day before. The lack of stars told us it was an overcast morning, which also meant it was a long time in coming light. As we watched the boats across the road from the office finally take shape we got kitted up in our wet suit and fins and headed onto the small Dolphin Experience boat that would take us out.

There was only five of us swimming and as we motored out over the dull greenish, calm waters of the harbour we all kept our eyes peeled. It did not take long to spot a group of 3 Hectors Dolphins surfacing in the early morning gloom, they came over to investigate the boat and we then sat and waited to see what the dolphins were doing, whether they would hang around and whether any others would turn up.

Soon 5 or 6 dolphins were swimming around the boat and our guide gave the signal to get into the water, quietly we slipped in, sucking in a deep breathe as the cold water filtered through our wetsuits. We warmed up as soon as we started swimming around, making noises through our snorkels in an attempt to catch the dolphins interests. It took a while for the dolphins to take interest, for a good 15 minutes we were swimming around without seeing a dolphin, however just as the guide and skipper were going to call us back on board, the dolphins suddenly appeared amongst us!

It was brilliant! The water was pretty murky, you'd look up and see a dolphin surface less than a metre away, look back under and not see anything. However this meant that in order to get a good look at us the dolphins had to swim in close, really close, Hector's dolphins swimming within inches of us! Stunning!
At some points 4 or 5 dolphins would swim in close, circling or gliding next to us, holding eye contact for what felt like eternity before disappearing into the gloom below. They were so close you could see the scratches and scars that cover their bodies and dorsal fins. A couple of times we would swim as fast as we could with a group of dolphins just ahead and it felt like you were one of the pod, then they would speed up and disappear with no hope of us keeping up.

We spent over an hour swimming with a group of about 6 or 7 dolphins, and as the group of swimmers and dolphins were smaller than the Duskies in Kaikoura, we were able to interact more with each other and the dolphins at the same time =)

Back on the boat, warming up with a cup of hot chocolate we watched as a couple of dolphins breached clear of the water close to the boat and then proceeded to bow ride with exuberant energy as we made our way back to port. We were all buzzing from our encounter and didn't want the trip to end, but at the same time we were extremely grateful of a warm shower.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the now hot and sunny weather, investigating the next bay and watching the boats, birds and dolphins out on the water.