Human shark bait anyone?
I'm disappointed and will now have to plan a separate trip out to South Africa (what a shame!). I think I have a death wish or something but I've been wanting for a while to get in a cage and get up close and personal with sharks. I'd read that you could do that in Kaikura but Lonely Planet had unfairly raised my hopes. Kaikura is famous for whale watching and also for swimming with dolphins and there is also a rare sighting of sharks but that's it.
So I plomped for the swimming with dolphins activity. Once again I was dressed up like a seal (eating fodder for some sea life in that area - although I think they would have got more than they bargained for with me!) and rode for 30 minutes on a rough sea till we eventually found a pod of around 200 dolphins. Once in the sea we had to act dolphin-like and make sounds in the snorkel to attract their attention. I have no idea what songs were coming out of my head as I think they were a mismatch of oi oi, eeek, blah blah blah, nelly the elephant, god save the queen. I do sometimes get worried about the state of my mind:)
It didn't take long for the dolphins to come swimming over (rather than away from us which would have been the sane thing for them to do) and dart right in front of me or beneath me. At one point I think I had about 5 around me. The underwater camera couldn't keep up with them so I reckon I've got photos of water and nothing else.
Yesterday I tried again to visit the 'Sounds' (carved out water valleys leading out to the sea) but as I was going to be thwarted by the weather again (we have english weather here for about 3/4 of the trip so far ie. grey, cloudy, wet, cold) I opted for a tour of the Marlborough wine region. Those who know me will recall I know didly squit about wines and that a 3 quid bottle from Tesco tastes just the same to me as a 30 quid bottle, so I really wasn't the best person to go on this tour.
Anyway, it was something different, in a famous valley and I had fun. I realised at the end of it that I still don't like red wine, Chardonnay does smell like socks (as one wine fanatic on the tour commented) and I love the sweet wines (guerswt...???) and the Sauvignon Blanc). At least I'll be no good as a footballers wife - I don't think Sauvingnon Blanc would fit:)
Anyway I've now made my way over Cook Strait and am now in the North Island, adjusting to the hustle, bustle of city life in Wellington.
So I plomped for the swimming with dolphins activity. Once again I was dressed up like a seal (eating fodder for some sea life in that area - although I think they would have got more than they bargained for with me!) and rode for 30 minutes on a rough sea till we eventually found a pod of around 200 dolphins. Once in the sea we had to act dolphin-like and make sounds in the snorkel to attract their attention. I have no idea what songs were coming out of my head as I think they were a mismatch of oi oi, eeek, blah blah blah, nelly the elephant, god save the queen. I do sometimes get worried about the state of my mind:)
It didn't take long for the dolphins to come swimming over (rather than away from us which would have been the sane thing for them to do) and dart right in front of me or beneath me. At one point I think I had about 5 around me. The underwater camera couldn't keep up with them so I reckon I've got photos of water and nothing else.
Yesterday I tried again to visit the 'Sounds' (carved out water valleys leading out to the sea) but as I was going to be thwarted by the weather again (we have english weather here for about 3/4 of the trip so far ie. grey, cloudy, wet, cold) I opted for a tour of the Marlborough wine region. Those who know me will recall I know didly squit about wines and that a 3 quid bottle from Tesco tastes just the same to me as a 30 quid bottle, so I really wasn't the best person to go on this tour.
Anyway, it was something different, in a famous valley and I had fun. I realised at the end of it that I still don't like red wine, Chardonnay does smell like socks (as one wine fanatic on the tour commented) and I love the sweet wines (guerswt...???) and the Sauvignon Blanc). At least I'll be no good as a footballers wife - I don't think Sauvingnon Blanc would fit:)
Anyway I've now made my way over Cook Strait and am now in the North Island, adjusting to the hustle, bustle of city life in Wellington.
posted by boozysoozy at
10:10 PM
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