dolphin encounter and a lazy shag

Swimming with the dolphins in Kaikoura was one of the most amazing experiences we have had, and a fantastic introduction to New Zealand.

We arrived early in the morning by bus from Christchurch to Kaikoura and checked into our hostel, interestingly named 'The Lazy Shag', which turned out to be quite hilarious when I asked our bus driver if he could show us a lazy shag and his face turned bright red.


Katie and I checked in for our dolphin encounter scheduled for the next morning at 5am, luckily the weather held and the trip was a success.

We were given thick wetsuits and during the training video taught to swim like dolphins and even make noises to attract the wild Dusky Dolphins.



When we werent in the water our guide told us about their behaviour and habitat. Apparently dolphins are a very promiscuous animal, mating up to 5 times with different partners in a 2 minute time period. Thats no lazy shagging there!

Our group was about 15 people and most of them failed to 'swim' like dolphins, flailing about in the water. But I think Katie and I did a good job of impersonating the dolphins, minus the promiscuity of course.

There were literally hundreds of wild dolphins, swimming so close they often brushed agaisnt us as they past. Katie might even be pregnant.

We were also very lucky to encounter a wild fur seal, which our guide explained was pretty rare.

Heres what our pictures would look like if we were good photographers:



Later in the day we went on a cave tour in the Maori Leap Cave which runs through Kaikoura Limestone that's just dripping with stalactites.

Maori appear to have been unaware of the existence of the cave, and the 'Maori Leap' name relates to the actions of a warrior in an inter-tribal battle. He was faced with the choice of being captured and becoming a slave or jumping for freedom. He leapt off the cliffs and supposedly survived, although the story is unclear about what happened to him in the end

The man made entrance to the cave:


stalactites and stalagmites:


The cliffs under which it runs are made of limestone that was formed around 60 million years ago from the calcium-rich shells of tiny plankton-like creatures that fell in untold billions to the sea floor when they died. Amongst these microscopic creatures were some whose shells and skeletons were made of silica instead of calcium. This silica was dissolved and concentrated to form deposits of flint in th dark rings below:




We caught an amazing sunset before heading out on the 'town':


The 'town' of Kaikoura is tiny and everyone apparently knows everyone else. The local kiwis were very welcoming and we had many hysterical conversations with farmers, bee keepers, whalers, and sheep shearers.





-Posted by Tracy