How to put on a dry suit

Tips for putting on a dry suit: wear layers (the suit keeps you dry, not warm), don't wear anything sharp (you don't want to puncture the suit), give yourself a bit of a wedgie (it needs to fit snugly), "burp" out the air (again, it needs to fit snugly). The plan today was to go swim with the Hector's Dolphins, the smallest and rarest of dolphins. Most of you know these are one of my favorite creatures, ever since I was little. Anyway, we headed out from Akaroa which is about 1.5 hours from Christchurch. The drive is nice. We saw loads of black swans, and more sheep than I can count. We also saw cattle and some deer, and lots of different birds. Akaroa is a lovely little seaside village that has a strong French influence. The waters were choppy; I think we were on 8-9 foot swells, and every once in while the boat would just slam into the next wave. (Wendy - remember the boat ride to the Balderas in Peru? It was worse, and my nausea was almost as bad as the Nazca Lines flight.) We did see several pods of dolphins, including a mama with her calf (and you all know how I love seeing the mom-child when seeing wildlife), but we were not able to get out and swim with them. This was partly due to the rough seas, but also because they were mainly feeding, and there was a calf out there. We also saw many albatrosses flying and diving. It was a good trip, and I'm glad I went.

I met some great people at the hostel (Chez la Mer Backpackers if you are ever in Akaroa). They gave some good tips for touring the South Island as a few of them had just returned from a two week jaunt around the South Island. We had some fish and chips for dinner, freshly caught that day (blue cod) with homemade tartar sauce. So, so good.

Mom, since you always wonder about the local goods - wool galore (sheep outnumber people about 10:1 here), lots of jade (it comes from the west coast), and paua shell. As for food, seafood is the way to go - fresh catch of the day, green mussels are also very common.

I'm off to explore the coast tomorrow. They have loads of unique creatures here, so I'll be keeping my eye out for penguins - the blue ones and the yellow-eyed ones.

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