Day 2: Akaroa

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch
May 8th 2010

Published: May 8th 2010

So apparently the cell phones here use military time. I didn't wake up to my alarm but luckily I woke before it. I got up ate some breakfast, and received a compliment from a french man, "nice cap". I think receiving a compliment from a french man is a great achievement, thanks for the hat Steve. I started off towards Akaroa harbor, I left early knowing I would probably stop along the way. While driving through the city I would see little pieces of the mountains. The mountains looked like CGI. I drove through a windy road passing some really nice looking homes. Kids were on their way to school. It's weird to think people actually live here, look out their windows every morning and see this spectacular scenery. Past the homes I came to a cross road with an amazing overlook, and a few trails. I was surprised to see that dogs were allowed on the trails. Most hiking in America doesn't allow dogs. I got out and ran up the trails to take some pictures. I then headed back to my car and continued. I don't think anyone has ever said "oh my god" to themselves more then I did on that road. I stopped literally every 5 minutes at first. It was taking forever, so eventually I just had to drive. I drove by beautiful pastures nestled in between the mountains, with cows and sheep everywhere.

After about a 2 hour trip I arrived in Akaroa. It is a beautiful harbor town, I think the population is only a couple thousand, maybe less. The harbor looked amazing, mountains on all sides, and the water was an aqua color, looking almost like the caribbean. I went into a convenient store to grab a drink. I noticed a can of skinned sheep tongues but decided to pass. I grabbed an energy drink, not knowing that it contained milk, so I had to drink it all before my dolphin tour. I headed over to the blue dolphin tour building on the pier. They were from a British news organization called the Daily Telegraph (I think), and were filming an "aditorial". Our guide was a scottish guy probably in his late 20's that looked like Bear Grylls. We were lead to a room with racks of wet suits and were given one. What an uncomfortable suit it was. So tight I could barely get it on. After about 5 minutes I was starting to sweat in it. We boarded the boat and headed out towards the pacific. I had my camera and was able to take a couple pictures, but shortly after we started we spotted some dolphins and were going to head in the water. I gave my camera to the captain to keep it dry. Bear got in first and said the water was warm, with an obvious hint of sarcasm. It was 13 degrees celsius. I got in slowly and the cold hit me hard. There were certain areas of the suit where the water was able to get in and it was freeeeezing. My hand were not covered and that was the coldest part. Surprisingly after a few minutes it wasn't as cold. The suit did its job well and other then a few parts of my body I was warm. We paddled around and tried to attract the dolphins. We were told to make clicking sounds with our fingers and sing under water. Bear said the dolphins were a fan of the Beatles, especially the song "Yellow Submarine." Since that song wasn't working too well I decided to sing "Octopuses Garden". A few dolphins came around but not very close. Occasionally we would see one but they were not in a playful mood. We got back on the boat and headed towards the pacific more. At this point I did not have my camera and was too wet to hold it. The view was amazing. The cliffs were so high and so steep and were on both sides of us. I don't even know how to explain it, I wish I would of had my camera. We made a couple more attempts to swim with the dolphins but we didn't have very much luck. The film crew was filming the host of the aditorial. It was funny because he had an english accent and it felt like I was watching it on TV. He had that same tone of voice every british host has. After being on the water for about an hour and a half we headed back in towards the harbor. They served us hot chocolate and took us under this huge cove. Once again I wish I could of used my camera. We spotted a couple of blue penguins in the cove. We were taken back to the dock and received a partial refund. Although I wasn't able to actually swim with the dolphins the experience was still amazing. The scenery was spectacular!

I got back on shore and walked around town for a bit trying to find a nice restaurant. I came upon an Inn with a bar/restaurant and a hotel. It was a cool looking little place. I got a venison shepherds pie and and a New Zealand beer, I think it was called Black's Gold. I ate my lunch/dinner while looking over the harbor. Bear stopped by the same inn to grab some take out. After I had finished my food and beer I sat for about 10 minutes waiting for the check. I then realized I was expected to walk up to the counter and pay. One of the coolest parts of this town was that all the locals knew each other. The town had a warm ambience about it.

I started heading back to Christchurch around 5:30. I stopped along the road to grab some fudge from a store. The drive back was just as spectacular as the drive in. The sun was setting and I got some great pictures. I got back to the hostel around 7 and got settled in. I took a nice warm shower then headed downstairs to the computer room. I talked with the Canadian woman for a couple of hours, she has an interesting story. She has lived in Europe for 4 years, somewhere in Asia for a year or two, and numerous other places. She just came from Tonga a week or so ago. She doesn't own a cell phone and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to do anything. When I told her I was only staying in NZ for a month she seemed puzzled. She is the first person who thought I was crazy for not staying in NZ longer.

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