After skiing Whakapapa and exploring the Art Deco town of Napier, I flew to the south island of New Zealand. The population is sparse enough as it is on the north island, but the south island is heartbreakingly beautiful and empty in comparison, with most of the population spread between Christchurch and Dunedin in the south, and Nelson in the north. On Saturday, I flew into Christchurch, which is a beautiful English-style city with wonderful 1800s architecture and masonry everywhere. The Avon river runs through the middle of the city, and the buildings are sculpted exquisitely around it. Really very charming.
I spent the night at a cool backpackers in Christchurch (what you'd call a hostel elsewhere in the world). Hosteling isn't really that bad, provided you have a good pair of earplugs and eyeshades with you to keep the noise and light from your roommates manageable. I've stayed in a few hostels on my travels in New Zealand, and they definitely range in quality: some are just a few hikers staying in a cabin in the woods with (hopefully) a wall heater to keep warm. Others have a full pub, Internet access, and provide bedding. I was surprised to learn that the card games backpackers play are pretty much universal; I played Asshole for hours with a group of kiwi students last week, and was glad to see it was the same game I played at Boy Scout camp!
Today I'm in the coastal marine life town of Kaikoura (which means "meal of crayfish"). And yes, the seafood here is the best I've ever had, bar none. Last night, I went hiking around the rugged, rocky coast with fur seals resting on the rocks uncovered by low tide, and then stopped at a roadside barbecue for the best garlic scallops I'd ever had, and a little patty of egg and a fish called "whitebait". The fisherman who served my meal was friendly and outgoing, and we chatted along with another traveler from South Carolina about the world, fish, and recommendations for sights to see.
This morning, I woke up bright and early to swim with dolphins right in the ocean (again recommended by Ingrid, Terry's orca researcher friend), with the Dolphin Encounter tour group. There were literally hundreds of dusky dolphins leaping around the boat, almost as if they were dancing. Donning my wetsuit, flippers, and snorkel, I dove into the chilly water, and was immediately surrounded by curious dolphins. We sang to the cetaceans through our snorkels, dived down to look them right in the eye, and swam circles around each other playfully.
Being so close to the dusky dolphins was incredibly moving; to see these intelligent mammals right up close and personal in the wild is truly a gift, as the dolphins weren't fed or coerced towards the boat in any way. They just wanted to be there. The only thing that wasn't quite so moving was the realization that dolphins do, in fact, pee and poo like any other animal, and that they were happily doing so right in the water around us. And I thought this was a civilized country! Geez. :)
Hopefully this afternoon I'll go on a helicopter tour to see whales off Kaikoura, but if that doesn't happen, I'll head west over New Zealand's Alps to the West Coast, and start making my way down towards Queenstown, the adventure capital of Kiwiland. I can't believe I only have a week left in this vacation paradise. I absolutely love it here, and I never want to leave!
There's a Backpacker's in Victoria, BC too!
I love your dolphin story :-D
Posted by: Antonio | September 03, 2007 at 07:03 AM