We awoke at 6am as today was the day we planned to escape from the “Jailhouse” prison. Other inmates had tried to escape from this penitentiary before but where they had failed we had hoped to succeed. We planned the escape before we went to bed and hoped that that little bit of luck was on our side. We had arranged our pickup (taxi) to be there at 6.20am on the nail so we had 20 minutes to get out of the Prison without any of the guards (reception) spotting us. Our plan was flawless, Conor, Tom and I were outside the walls by 6.20am but Mike was nowhere to be seen. A plan is just a piece of paper and cannot tell you the mindset of individuals that early in the morning. I risked my freedom going back for Mike but I knew the blueprints of that Prison so well that it was worth it. Mike said he was an institutionalised man now but I convinced him that freedom was better. Besides that you can’t get KFC, McDonalds or other backpacker meals behind Prison walls. With that we were on our way. If you see us on the local papers, cut us a bit of slack!!
After a two and a half hour bus journey we hit Kaikoura just before 10am. The small town of Kaikoura enjoys a pretty setting in the lee of the Kiakoura Peninsula, wedged between the mountains and the ocean. Whale watching and swimming with the Dolphins are big business here. We decided that swimming with Dolphins was the thing for us. It is one of those things that I always wanted to tick of my list, the bucket list I suppose! For a small town it is overburdened with accommodation. We booked into the Dusky Lodge and went on our way to book the Dolphin swimming with “Dolphin encounter”. It cost 140 dollars which was pretty good. Mike decided not to do the swimming bit but came along on the boat for 60 dollars; again that was a reasonable price. We got suited up again in our wet suits. I never tire of seeing Tom in his wet suit, honestly he looks hilarious!! For some reason every time I get my wetsuit they insist on it being the tightest one out of all the group…I have no idea why, maybe its my muscular frame :P After being kitted up we had to watch a 20 minute video about what was going to happen and instructions. This was the best tour video we had seen so far by a mile. They had a “what not to do” list which included hilariously funny not to do’s that even we wouldn’t have tried. It had everyone in stitches so with that bit of banter we were ready to tackle these dolphins. We were split into two groups and we headed off in one boat while the rest of the group took the other one. We were told before hand that we would have 3 turns to swim with the dolphins for about 10-15 minutes each. After a 20 minute journey on the boat with the wind in our hair, we got to our first Dolphin port of call. We put our Snorkels on, as well as our very big flippers, and took our position at the edge of the boat. Waiting for the horn to blow which indicated that we could fall into the water (no diving in of course!!). Once that horn blew we were in the water like a shot. One thing that the tour guides told us to do was to make Dolphin noises when we put our heads under the water so as to attract them. Also they said to circle around them as they will see this as a game and will also circle around you. It was a strange sensation seeing the first Dolphin right beside me and he looked at me in the eye…I think he said “Welcome to Kaikoura” but I could be wrong. These Dolphins are called Dusky Dolphins and belong to a group known as cetaceans, which compromises all whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are about 1.6 to 1.8 metres in length and weigh 70-80 kilograms. They inhabit the waters of Kaikoura all year round. I started singing and the Dolphins responded and I circled around them to play with them. The Dolphin kicked my ass and I was fairly knackered after it. They have some energy in fairness to them! We also got an under water camera so I let Tom take pictures under the water (although later I discovered he never took any shots of us under the water…it never occurred to him). It was a great sensation witnessing these Dolphins in their natural environment. There were so many of them aswell and they are really friendly.
After spending time in the water it was time to turn the boat around and head back to base. The journey back was as spectacular as our time in the water. The Dolphins used the boats waves to show off to us. We were told by the tour guides that of all the Dolphins, the dusky must possess the greatest range of spectacular leaps and jumps. High leaps, side-slaps, back-slaps, spins, somersault forwards and backwards as well as other combinations, are among their repertoire. I’d love to have had a football; they would have made Paul McGrath proud with their high leaps and heading ability. It was savage seeing them at the front of the boat and sides of the boat as they used the waves of the boat to keep pace with us. We enjoyed some cookies and hot chocolate and Mike and I even had time to do a Titanic pose (you got to do it really, it’s too tempting not to although I would have preferred Kate Winslet but Mike will do for now). This was up there with anything we have done so far on our trip and I would recommend it to anyone because it is an amazing experience and one that will stick with us forever. I saw Fungi in Tralee once but this was way better, although Fungi is a bit of a legend. Once back on land we had some “amazing” chowder, as the menu stated and chilled in the hostel. They say that a Dog is a man’s best friend, but at least for today the Dolphin was man’s best friend.
Flipper Flipper faster than lightening,
Gary
After a two and a half hour bus journey we hit Kaikoura just before 10am. The small town of Kaikoura enjoys a pretty setting in the lee of the Kiakoura Peninsula, wedged between the mountains and the ocean. Whale watching and swimming with the Dolphins are big business here. We decided that swimming with Dolphins was the thing for us. It is one of those things that I always wanted to tick of my list, the bucket list I suppose! For a small town it is overburdened with accommodation. We booked into the Dusky Lodge and went on our way to book the Dolphin swimming with “Dolphin encounter”. It cost 140 dollars which was pretty good. Mike decided not to do the swimming bit but came along on the boat for 60 dollars; again that was a reasonable price. We got suited up again in our wet suits. I never tire of seeing Tom in his wet suit, honestly he looks hilarious!! For some reason every time I get my wetsuit they insist on it being the tightest one out of all the group…I have no idea why, maybe its my muscular frame :P After being kitted up we had to watch a 20 minute video about what was going to happen and instructions. This was the best tour video we had seen so far by a mile. They had a “what not to do” list which included hilariously funny not to do’s that even we wouldn’t have tried. It had everyone in stitches so with that bit of banter we were ready to tackle these dolphins. We were split into two groups and we headed off in one boat while the rest of the group took the other one. We were told before hand that we would have 3 turns to swim with the dolphins for about 10-15 minutes each. After a 20 minute journey on the boat with the wind in our hair, we got to our first Dolphin port of call. We put our Snorkels on, as well as our very big flippers, and took our position at the edge of the boat. Waiting for the horn to blow which indicated that we could fall into the water (no diving in of course!!). Once that horn blew we were in the water like a shot. One thing that the tour guides told us to do was to make Dolphin noises when we put our heads under the water so as to attract them. Also they said to circle around them as they will see this as a game and will also circle around you. It was a strange sensation seeing the first Dolphin right beside me and he looked at me in the eye…I think he said “Welcome to Kaikoura” but I could be wrong. These Dolphins are called Dusky Dolphins and belong to a group known as cetaceans, which compromises all whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are about 1.6 to 1.8 metres in length and weigh 70-80 kilograms. They inhabit the waters of Kaikoura all year round. I started singing and the Dolphins responded and I circled around them to play with them. The Dolphin kicked my ass and I was fairly knackered after it. They have some energy in fairness to them! We also got an under water camera so I let Tom take pictures under the water (although later I discovered he never took any shots of us under the water…it never occurred to him). It was a great sensation witnessing these Dolphins in their natural environment. There were so many of them aswell and they are really friendly.
After spending time in the water it was time to turn the boat around and head back to base. The journey back was as spectacular as our time in the water. The Dolphins used the boats waves to show off to us. We were told by the tour guides that of all the Dolphins, the dusky must possess the greatest range of spectacular leaps and jumps. High leaps, side-slaps, back-slaps, spins, somersault forwards and backwards as well as other combinations, are among their repertoire. I’d love to have had a football; they would have made Paul McGrath proud with their high leaps and heading ability. It was savage seeing them at the front of the boat and sides of the boat as they used the waves of the boat to keep pace with us. We enjoyed some cookies and hot chocolate and Mike and I even had time to do a Titanic pose (you got to do it really, it’s too tempting not to although I would have preferred Kate Winslet but Mike will do for now). This was up there with anything we have done so far on our trip and I would recommend it to anyone because it is an amazing experience and one that will stick with us forever. I saw Fungi in Tralee once but this was way better, although Fungi is a bit of a legend. Once back on land we had some “amazing” chowder, as the menu stated and chilled in the hostel. They say that a Dog is a man’s best friend, but at least for today the Dolphin was man’s best friend.
Flipper Flipper faster than lightening,
Gary
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