The Best Thing ... EVER!!!

Two hours north of Christchurch, in the town of Kaikoura I got to do one of the things I had been most looking forward to since I started planning my trip. Maybe something I could say I've wanted to do since I was a child. I swam with dolphins.

(Rema's in the middle getting ready to jump back in)
Kaikoura is a coastal town situated at the feeding banks for all kinds of sea life. It wasn't actually included on my bus pass but my driver for the past few days had enough room to do me the great favour of letting me hop on for free. This saved me the hassle and cost of buying a partial leg from the bus company's head office. As we cruised along the coastal highway Stuart the driver told us to keep an eye out for seals and dolphins. We saw a few frolicking seals, which although adorable were no surprise by this point, but no dolphins. Instead I happened to be the first to spot something far more rare in those waters; Killer Whales. A pod of three or four with sleek black fins gliding in and out of the waves. They seemed to be following us up the coast and into the heart of town.

The dolphin swim was arranged through magic bus who had a group deal and I'm lucky they did because I tried booking ahead on my own and there was nothing available for at least two weeks. Thanks again to Stuart. We dropped our gear at the Dusky Lodge hostel and were dropped off ourselves at the Encounter Kaikoura tour company.
I've always liked dolphins. I still have a somewhat beat up book on dolphins with excellent photos that my uncle Gerard got for me through the book business he used to run. My parents took me to sea world a few times where I one got to feed one during a performance and pet a different one in a tank, but this was a whole different experience.

The Dolphins I met this day were not trained, they were not caged, and they were not being lured with food. They were totally wild. Keeping this in mind we were instructed not to touch them and to not think of them as our entertainment but instead to think of ourselves as their entertainment. We were encouraged to make noise and to dive down a bit in hopes of engaging their interest.

(A Dusky nearly brushing up against me)
The tour works like this, two boats get loaded up with ten swimmers and groups of other people who are just going to watch from the deck. Meanwhile spotters locate the pod of dolphins as they are heading to the feeding grounds. The boat pulls up ahead of the pod and then they just drop the swimmers in the water. The Dusky Dolphins, which is the local species don't find us threatening so the just swim right around us. Hopefully you get a few to check you out before they all pass by. Once they move on we get back in the boat and repeat the process a few times.

The first few moments as we confronted the pod were stunning. As boat came to a stop we were sitting on the back launch pad and we could really see the size of the pod for the first time. When I think of a pod of dolphins or other sea mammals I tend to think of not much more than ten. This single pod consists of over one hundred Duskys. The effect of seeing that many large animals stampeding straight at you is indescribable. Then we jumped in.

(a fellow swimmer getting back in the boat)
I flattened out my body and dipped my besnorkeled head in. Instantly I saw a Dusky less than three feet below me passing in parallel. Below him were two more moving in layers. I forgot myself and said "wow" taking in a mouthful of sea water. I think I wasn't the only one to make that mistake.

(Gliding)
They were everywhere. This was one of the two big reasons I had bought a diving shell for my camera. I didn't want to get so preoccupied taking pictures that I missed the moment itself so I just fired away and hope for the best. Soon enough they had passed us by so we got called back onto the boat and we took off trying to get ahead of the pod again.
(I feel so pretty in this outfit)
We repeated this process four times and I think we spent 45 minutes in the water all together. Between swims we got to ride sitting on the rear step of the boat.

(just a portion of the pod, look closely at the top end)
On our fourth run I managed to finally get enough interest from a Dusky that he circled me a couple of times before moving on, which is considered a real coup.

(baby seal)

After that we caught our breath for a bit while we watched from the deck. On the way back into shore we passed the seals we'd seen from the coast highway.


(our twin tour boat)
I was riding high after that so I enjoyed a stroll through town back to the hostel with Rema and Chris, two people I met on the bus into town. There was a park lined with archways made of sperm whale jaw bones (left over from Kaikoura's now illegal whaling days) and we stopped in a local greasy spoon for a much needed late lunch after all that swimming in high waves.
(Sperm Whale jaw bones lining the park path ... ok, it's weird)
There also seemed to be a strange conflagration of events going on in Kaikoura that day. Firstly I ran into Dermot Canterbury as I checked in for my Dolphin swim. He had been the kayaking partner that I had gone into the drink with in Cathedral Cove at the start of my trip. After that it seemed to be Canadian day in Kaikoura with a special concentration on Ontario. Most of my time here I had been a minority surrounded by European tourists. The few Canadian I had met were mainly from the west coast. This day however the girl that checked me in for the Dolphin tour had gone to U of T for school. one of the guides on the boat was born in Windsor and had done some primary school in Scarborough. Rema and another guy on my bus Brian were both Torontonians, although Rema was living out west now. Back at the hostel we bumped into Trish from Alberta and Keith a Torontonian living in Sydney. Finally we had all the others nationalities surrounded!

(Barry Sanders, abusing art around the world)
This made for a tremendous night. The Hostel had a huge pool and fantastic Thai restaurant out back where we congregated for a dinner. Franci who I had hiked the base of Franz Josef with was also there. We had been traveling in parallel on and off since then and I was glad to be seeing her one last time. She was right up there amongst my favorite travel companions. We picked up an Irish guy named Dermot (not the one from kayaking) and we ended the night in the town pub.

(THE CANADIANS: Brian, Keith, Rema, Trish and Me)
Maybe it was just the high from the Dolphin swim but of all the little towns I had seen in New Zealand, Kaioura had been my favorite. I wished I could spend an extra night because it was a beautiful place and despite having a couple more days in Christchurch ahead of me, I had already been through there. I felt like Kaikoura was the final chapter of my Journey through New Zealand ... and it was perfect.

The Antarctic Centre

Christchurch sits on the South Island's upper east coast. Beside the airport, along the city's outer rim you'll find The Antarctic Centre. An educational/entertainment attraction based on the fact the Christchurch Airport acts as the launch point for missions to the frozen continent.

One of the airport landing strips points straight south and there is literally nothing but ocean between the end of the runway and the Antarctic coast. Flights to the research stations have to get constant weather updates because fuel limits create a point of no return.

The United States Antarctic Program uses a Hercules heavy cargo plane. A plane of such gross tonnage that once it lands it is on a strict 8 hour turnaround clock. If it doesn't take off again by then it will sink to deeply into the ice to get it rolling again.

We stopped in on our way into the city and I figured while I was there I would due the full package. So I bought the admission that included aHagglund ride as well as entrance to the indoor exhibits. A Hagglund is the vehicle they use to get around in the South Pole. It looks like two lunch boxes on tank treads connected by a rail car joint. It's not an impressive sight, nor is the gravel track out back where the ride it around. Your first impression is that this pretty much is a kiddie ride. But then they put theHagglund through it's paces and you know why this is the machine they use in the harshest climate on earth.

A Hagglund can be immersed 3/4 into water, can be tipped more than 30º backward, forward or sideways without rolling over or losing it's grip on shifting materials like loose snow, ice or gravel, and it can cross a gap of about 3 feet. The ride is a little rough but a lot of fun.

Inside there were many informative displays very reminiscent of Toronto's own Science Centre dealing with the flora, fauna, ecosystems and conditions of the Antarctic. This included a habitat of Blue Penguins, the smallest species of penguin. Even though most of them were adults they all looked and moved like adorable little babies.


There was also an indoor snowstorm where you could get a taste of the South Pole's wind conditions. I quite liked the emergency storm stop button. I want one for home.

On the way out there are plaques for all the signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. The treaty that preserves the antarctic as a shared resource for research and prevents and one country from claiming it. Canada joined when I was in high school.

Afterwards we got headed into the city centre. In three days I would be leaving for Australia from Christchurch but before I did I had to make a side trip to Kaikoura. There was one more thing I had to see.

Streets, Boulders and Horses

Dunedin was charming but short on sights and activities so I was fine with leaving after only one night but I was glad our bus made a quick stop at Dunedin's only claim to fame; The World's Steepest Street.

Baldwin Street reaches angles as steep as 35º which would lead one to believe it was named after Stephen Baldwin's plunging career path but in fact it was named for the city planner who saddled them with this traffic challenge.

The distance from Dunedin to Christchurch is just a little too much for a single days drive so the trip is broken up with a night in LakeTekapo (tek-u-poe), which allows for quite a number of relaxed stops along the way.

The first of these was to see the Moeraki Boulders. Arranged in several clumps strewn along the beach these naturally occurring rocks are almost perfectly spherical.

We had a great deal of fun scrambling up and down them for pictures and just for the fun of it.

Further down the road we saw Mt. Doom again ... sort of. As in most movies Lord of the Rings used multiple locations for different parts of the same set and Mt. Cook was the other mountain utilized to stand in for Middle Earth's dark heart.

(Mt. Doom!!!! ... again ... but different)
As we got close to Tekapo Sonja (not the one from Melbourne but another one from Germany) ran into some trouble. Her camera battery died and she had signed up for a scenic fly over of the Tekapo area. The problem was it only took a special rechargeable battery made for her camera so she had no way to record her flight. Since we had been traveling together a while I took a measured risk and we popped her memory card into my fully charged camera and I let her take it on the plane.
This left me cameraless for the day and dependant on the kindness of one Elizabeth Ramirez of Austin TX to take photos on my behalf. Elizabeth was definitely one of the most enjoyable people I've met on my travels. A real homage to southern charm. Not the plastic, big haired, drawling, artificial smiled beauty queen version of southern charm that we get from TV but just an honest friendly demeanour and a delightful light accent. The smile was just as big as you'd expect but entirely genuine.

There was a pause to check out The Church of The Good Shepherd which is a small weathered stone structure that sits alone at the foot of a glassy lake surrounded by snow capped mountains. A stunning view. I've posted some photos from Aaron, a Scottish friend.

We arrived in Tekapo around mid afternoon which was early enough to take advantage of the local trail ride. I've only been on a horse once before that I can remember and that didn't go well. It was in Nashville Tennessee where I was visiting Mary, my girlfriend of the time. She insisted I try riding her horse but it was a tiny welsh pony. I think the poor thing didn't weigh much more than me and I felt guilty for just getting on it's back. Mary trotted us around the deeply sloping stable yard while warning me to beware the several mounds of fire ants. My girlfriend couldn't understand why I didn't seem to be enjoying myself. This ride went so much better.
I was put on a full sized chestnut horse named Dick. He was a beautiful but a bit stubborn and he was definitely taking advantage of me. Dick kept stopping to graze or just stopping out right on some of the harder hills. This meant I had to try to show him who was boss which meant kicking him in the sides. I know that sounds awful but that's how it's done the angle of a saddle doesn't allow for much force. In fact he didn't even seem to notice. None the less I felt awful doing it which is probably why he was behaving so poorly. He could tell I wasn't going to be very aggressive with him but In the end I think we managed to come to an accord and I really liked it.

(since I don't have the pictures from Elizabeth you'll have to pretend this picture of her is actually me on a horse)
The trail led out through a field that looked exactly like the set of a classic western, then though the woods to an open plain on a mountain side overlooking Lake Tekapo. The view was unbelievable. I'd go Horse riding again in a heart beat. Unfortunately I don't have those pictures yet but they are coming. Elizabeth and I have been trading e-mails and she's still making her way back home but she hasn't forgotten and will get them to me when she gets settled.
Myself, Elizabeth, Stuart (our bus driver) and 3 Irish sisters who had been on our trail ride, finished the day with dinner and drinks in the what was pretty much the only restaurant/pub in town. One of the Irish girls worked for a hotel chain that has a Canadian office and because of that she somehow had the strange impression that St. Thomas Ontario is a really big city instead of the one street town that it is. We had a good laugh about it over desert before walking back under the stars to our hostel, The Tekapo Lake Front Lodge where I reclaimed my camera from Sonja.


(The Lakefront Lodge)
A last note about hostels, you never know what you'll get. The Lake Front was less than two years old and generally well designed and yet the beds were so poorly made that they squeaked loudly if you even shifted your weight minorly. The guilt over possibly waking everyone else up while you got comfortable made it hard to fall asleep. All the same I woke up well rested and ready for Christchurch.

(My morning view from the Lakefront Lodge)

Penguins in the Grass

I woke up my last morning in Queenstown to discover the mattress from the bed across from mine had gone missing while I had slept. It turned out one of the girls we had been hanging out with the night before, Cindy was actually one of my hostel roommates.

The three of them had decided to just stay up all night and Cindy had taken her mattress out to the common area so they would have a place to kick back. I must have been dead on my feet because I was the only one in the room she didn't wake.

Maria Mink the dutch painter girl who I had had a great time talking to the night before was still with them and it was nice to have another chance to chat while we awaited my early bus out of town. The third girl, Sonja who hailed from Melbourne was catching the bus with me. Lucky for her we weren't due to arrive in Dunedin until 2pm so she got to catch up on her sleep. I caught a good catch-up nap myself.

We stopped for morning tea in Alexandra. The town's clock was built into the face of the cliff that towers over the little mining village. The ride was mostly taken up with reading, napping and conversations with fellow travellers.

Dunedin is just big enough to be a city but barely. Still it was the first time I had seen a real indoor mall since I'd left Canada and after I got settled in my hostel room I headed straight there. I'm not excited by malls but a food court and the options that came with it were quite welcome. The road food in New Zealand had so far failed to impress and I need something filing before I headed out on my big activity for the day, a late day trip with Elm Wildlife Tours.

Not far outside the city are some fantastic pockets of nature. Just on the drive out there we saw an amazing number of wild birds unique to the country.

(This bird has two legs but they are so thin that he'll stand on one while tucking the other under his body for warmth and circulation)

The first proper stop was at an albatross preserve. I must admit I had not been that enthusiastic about the albatross stop. I mean they're just big seagulls and I had signed up to see the penguins and sea lions. You know, real wildlife, but when you see a bird with a wingspan that is as wide as you are tall and it's gliding like no other thing you've ever seen, you can't help but be impressed.

(an Albatross with a 2 meter wing span, that's over 6 feet)
There was a quick dinner stop where one of my fellow travellers Martin horrified us me and some other companions with a British invention called a Chip Butty. It's just chips (french fries) in a buttered bread sandwich. How these people survived food like that long enough to build an empire is beyond me.

The next stop was a spot at the shoreline where we had to cross through a sheep field to reach the beaches.


(Sheep)
The tour had been timed for late in the day which is when the sea lions wake to feed and the penguins come in from the ocean to nest, so the whole thing was perfect. Not surprisingly there was a seal colony which I quiet enjoyed despite having seen so many already but the next beach over had the colony of sea lions.


(another seal colony)
Sea lions are the seals' much larger and more aggressive cousin. They were right on the beach and we could walk right up to them within a few meters. Beyond that you risked provoking their territorial instincts. As lethargic as sea lions tend to be they are very strong and can be dangerously fast for short spurts on land so it was kind of wild to be standing so close with only a respectful distance keeping us safe.


(sea lions waking up for dinner)
This was also the time that the penguins started waddling in. When I think of penguins I think of the blank white of the antarctic but here they were, slowly making there way across the sand to set up their nests for the evening in the tall grass of hills that slopped toward the sea.

The yellow eyed penguin is as slow and clumsy on it's feet as any bird could be but that didn't stop a single one from climbing the steep hills into their nesting grounds.


They were of course far mores skittish about humans than the sea lions so we kept our distance and even spent some time watching from viewing shelters set up on the hillside. I was amazed at how far up the steep slopes they went.



(A father and son nesting)
It was a good steep hike back up the hills and through the sheep fields and the sun was setting by the time we reached the little tour bus that took us back home to the hostel. I napped a little more on the drive back.

(A sea lion making a quick pace toward the surf)
As much as I loved the wildlife tour I was a little sad that between the mid afternoon arrival, the length of time we had just spent on the beach and the planned early departure the next day, I wouldn't really get to see the city of Dunedin. So I decided to go for a walk around and see what I could see before it got too late.

(napping sea lions and me ... I'm in the foreground)

I'm glad I did because I soon realized I wasn't missing much. Dunedin is pretty and the city center (known as the Octagon for obvious shape related reasons) has some real character, but by 9:30 only a few coffee shops and bars were open. So I grabbed a snack from the only 24 hour variety store around and called it a good day.