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Published: January 2nd 2015
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Hector's Dolphins
Apparently they like being pushed by the boat, it is what their mothers do it when they're young. There's no place like home, but staying at a place surrounded by very kind people can sometimes create similar circumstances. That's how I ended up staying at the place in Akaroa for more than two weeks in total! By the time it got close to Christmas I thought I might as well just stay for the celebrations and spend it with people I am familiar with. Another thing that was part of the reason for my long stay, was that I actually was able to do some woofing, meaning doing cleaning work for two hours a day in exchange of free accommodation. In addition to that I was given the opportunity to help out on an old sailing boat called the Fox II which was amazing. I saw hector dolphins (the smallest and rarest in the world), blue penguins (the smallest in the world), albatrosses and fur seals almost on a daily basis!
After Christmas I realised that it was time to move on, I noticed that I only have a bit over a month left to travel! So I decided to leave Chez La Mer Backpackers on the 26th. Once again I was lucky enough to meet someone new
to travel with. Tim is a great German guy who likes sports, hiking in particular, music and solving puzzles.. Got to be a good match!
On the first day travelling together we went to a place called Lake Clearwater (somehow kiwis like contradictions, the lake is all but clear) to camp. With a stunning view of the Southern Alps we had diner on top of a hill that functioned as our wind shelter. At 6 in the morning a dip in the lake refreshed us before we moved on to wonderful lake Tekapo. Tekapo is ideal for stargazing, so we decided to go on top of Mount John for sunset and stayed till somewhat after 11pm. Unfortunately it was not as clear as we expected it to be, but nonetheless it was lovely.
An absolutely stunning experience was swimming in Lake Pukaki with a breathtaking view of the famous Mount Cook. The color of the water was unreal! The drive that brought us from there to Oamaru was pretty unspectacular, unlike our expectations for new years eve. We spent the 31st watching the latest Hobbit in the cinema and going to a local brewery pub hoping that there
would be something like a party. Our hopes vanished quickly as they welcomed us with: "Guys, last drinks are served in 15mins." It was 9:20pm on New Years Eve!! Nevertheless we had a great time, the lovely Mancunian bartender invited us to a homeparty where we went to after two quick pints of local delight. So that's how we spent our New Years Eve, without seeing even one firework (of what I remember..)!
At the moment I am in Dunedin, waiting for the weather to get a bit better to try out my newly purchased polarising filter for my camera. We'll most probably do another multiple day hike in close future, maybe the Kepler or Routeburn track. I'll keep you updated!
Hope all of you started 2015 well and didn't eat too much of all the Christmas treats!
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