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Published: April 21st 2010
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Ah what a wonderful day! The crack of dawn (well, 8ish) saw us preparing for our big day out on the Carino, a catamaran which would sail us round the Bay of Islands in search of all that is interesting in these parts (warning Dani: some of these may be of the winged variety of interesting!) I have to say that the Bay of Islands is a most beautiful place, with over 100 islands of various sizes and status - some are Government reserves, some are privately owned - but together they make for a wonderful vista in green, gold and turquoise.
There were only about 12 of us on the Carino, a mixture of Germans, Swiss, American and English. There was absolutely no wind with the sea looking like a mill pond, so we went under power rather than sail. I regarded this as a good sign, as it would mean that I had a chance of snorkelling without my snorkel filling up with waves!
We’d only been out about half an hour when the cry went up that there were dolphins in the sea - huge bottle-nosed dolphins, which are the largest type of dolphin. There were
about 12 in the ‘pod’ that we were approaching. We were told that they may or may not choose to swim with us and that everyone had to get into the water and ‘be interesting’. It was around this time that I thought it would probably be a good idea if I remained on board to take photos - a) because as we all know I’m not a very strong swimmer, b) I’d hold John back and c) my form of interesting would probably be me screaming like a girly yet again!
So, everyone else leapt into the South Pacific Ocean (20 degrees!) (brrr!) and tried to swim towards the dolphins, who didn’t look particularly impressed. Having said that, John did give a thumbs-up as 2 dolphins swam directly below him. This exercise was regarded as the trial run, and soon Carino had manoeuvred in front of the pod for a second attempt. ‘Sing into your snorkels’ the swimmers were instructed as they yet again jumped into the water. I shall let John describe his experiences, but suffice it to say, I did manage to get one photo of him and a dolphin in the same bit of sea!
It all happened so quickly!
[So what was it like swimming with the Dolphins? A bit special but all too brief! Firstly, it was nothing like the shows you see with people holding onto the dorsal fin and travelling around a swimming pool - these are wild animals and have a whole ocean to play around in so you actually have to work to engage them! Amazingly, I didn’t have much trouble slipping off the back of the boat into the water despite it being rather cold. The main challenge once in the water was to intercept the dolphins. Luckily, a frantic front crawl sprint to the left of the boat was rewarded by the sight to two dolphins swimming towards me and then directly underneath me. Quite incredible, their large silvery grey bodies sliding effortlessly past and by the time I’d flipped around they were gone. We were told that a good way to retain the dolphin’s attention at this point is to sing through the snorkel - unfortunately, my frantic swim meant all I got was a mouth full of salt water for my troubles!
After returning to the boat, we quickly had a second opportunity
to engage with them. This time, I was one of the last people in the water but could see the ‘pod’ making off to the right and swam full pelt in a path adjacent to the other swimmers. A large dolphin suddenly appeared alongside me, close enough to touch, and observe a few marks on its body, but then, in the flap of a tail was gone. It seemed quite obvious to me that no amount of singing was going to bring them back and so it proved to be. Nonetheless, it was truly special to be in the water with these incredible creatures.]
Not long later, we arrived at a lovely sandy cove for a bit of snorkelling or walking. I was keen to get into the water, but have to say it was a little cold and the snorkelling isn’t quite up to the standard I’ve come to expect (I can’t believe it’s only a week since we were on the GBR)!! John decided to opt for walking to the top of the island, and he said that the views were incredible.
After a relaxing time drying off in the sun on the beach, it was
back on the boat for bbq sausages before setting sail back to port. The wind had increased, so we were able to use the sail for a while, whipping along over choppier waves. We watched the gannets diving into the sea catching small sardines - it was fascinating to see them wheel around in the sky and then dart like arrows into the sea.
I would also like to boast here that I got a photo of a tiny Blue Penguin swimming along in the Ocean - he was only about 8 inches tall, and I wouldn’t have noticed him if someone hadn’t pointed him out!
Back on dry land, we bought a detailed atlas of NZ and then went up to the library to download another day’s worth of blog. I was chatting to a Dutch traveller in there who has been on the road since 2006 - he was telling us about the volcanic eruption in Iceland affecting the UK’s airports. Lucky we’re not on our way home yet! He was also regaling me on some of his travels - and the fact that he’s managed to get a place on a boat sailing for Europe
... not surprisingly he was excited and I was faintly envious!!
And just as we were on our way back to the campsite for a well deserved cup of tea, John (bless him) spotted the only quilting shop north of Whangarei called “The Powerquilter.” I popped in saying I’d only be a minute, and was there for ages. The lady who runs it, Caroline, was American and an absolute poppet. We spent ages discussing various authors, quilting techniques and colour ways, and not surprisingly I came out with some wonderful fabric - based on Maori drawings! She says she has them on her website if you want to check them out: www.powerquilter.co.nz. I love here that they say ‘dub dub dub’, rather than ‘w w w’ ... I hope it’ll catch on at home!!
I think you might be like to know that we have now seen #3 on the list of 101 things a Kiwi wants to do: the Bay of Islands!
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Daughter dearest
non-member comment
What's no1 & 2?
They're not birds are they? xxxx