New Zealand Day 9: Dolphin Swim & Ferry

The next morning Derick and I work up at 4:45 to get ready and be at the dolphin place of 5:30. We did the early swim because one the guides said the dolphin activity is betting in the early morning and two this way we could swim and still make our 1:30 ferry to the North Island. Derick and I were not really excited this morning. The seals had been okay but not AMAZING, and it was so early and the water was going to be so cold. But neither of us said anything (I think if one person would have said "I dont want to" the other would have jumped on that real fast and been like "okay back to sleep") and we went to the Dolphin Encounter building on got all suited up for our trip. While the seals were a mom and pop kinda thing, this was a super stream line high tech kinda thing. Which on one hand was kinda nice... there was a hot water hose on the boat so if you got too cold, just stick this hose down your wetsuit, a bathroom on the boat, we watched a safety video, and they fed us cookies and hot chocolate, but on the other hand I kinda just felt like a number. Where as with the seals, there was no hot water, no hot chocolate, no bathroom, but I felt like we got treated as individuals. 

Over I all I would suggest doing both the seals and dolphins if you go to New Zealand... especially if you go to Kiakoura. We had people in out seal group the did the dolphins the day before and said the seals were way better... but one day later when we went to the dolphins the dolphins were way better. I think since these are completely wild animals and are not enticed in any way that they do what they want and some days will be better then others.

There are the Dusky Dolphins that we went swimming with. They are highly curious and highly acrobatic. Since these are entirely wild dolphins playing with us of their own free will the guides told us they will stick around longer in they have good entertainment. The dolphins like when you make dolphin noises through your snorkel, make eye contact and swim in circles, and dive down. Any time I did any of these things there were immediately 1-5 dolphins by my side. It was amazing. They were inches from me. 

Check out my video!

 

 While we were swimming in the ocean we were with a pod of about 300 dolphins, and later when we got back on the boat, that pod joined another pod to make over a thousand dolphins. There were everywhere... from horizon to horizon! 

After the most amazing experience of my life we left the south island to go to the North Island on the Inter islander Ferry. Our rental car came with free ferry tickets for the 1:30 sailing which worked with out schedule so we went with it. It was so nice just being able to drive on, hang out for four hours and drive off without having to get a new rental car, moving bags, and all that lame stuff. We got our car through Apex Rentals by the way.

This is leaving Picton Harbor and traveling through Queen Charlotte Sound. 

 This is emerging from the sound out into Cook Strait.

 So for our first evening in Wellington we explore the city including their botanical garden. And if you know me then you know I am a sucker for botanical gardens. They had a really beautiful rose garden.s

After the botanical garden we continued our explorations through the downtown to the cultural museum (which was already closed) but we went in for like 45 min. before it closed the next day and it was SO COOL! If you go to Wellington go to Te Papa Tongarewa it was the coolest interactive hands on museum ever! Anywho these are some sweet sculptures outside the museum.

And this is looking out from our hotel at night. If I had to do it again, the hotel we stayed at wasn't bad, but the city is a little hard to navigate and we ended up having to drive most places anyway so I wish we would have stayed out in the country instead of the heart of the city so kinda get away from the rush. But I have never been a city girl.