Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is paradise for me! The weather is fantastic, at least during the day. It often rains at night... But during the day the sun shines and it is warm. Finally I can wear my sandals.

Today there is a boat trip in the Bay of Islands. Past uninhabited islands, an island that is completely free of pests and islands with fantastic beaches.

The goal is a rock with a hole in it, "Hole in the Rock". Past a lighthouse and there is the hole in the rock. It looks like an archway in the middle of the water.

I have seen many marine animals on this trip: penguins, sea lions, humpback whales, sperm whales and orcas. But not yet dolphins. My trip is coming to an end and this is my last guided excursion. So if I don't see any dolphins today, then I probably won't see any more on this trip...

Shortly behind the Hole of the Rock there is another boat floating around in the water. And on our boat the announcement comes: “The other boat saw dolphins, we’re going there” 🎉.

And suddenly they are there, lots of them and very close to the boat. Dolphins, they are common (or common) dolphins (that's what they're called). Again and again they appear directly at our boat and then dart away again. What a spectacle and an experience.

So I was able to have this experience too!

Afterwards we go to one of the islands for 1.5 hours. As I leave the ship, there is actually a ray gliding around in the water. I didn't expect that here. I thought they only existed in warmer areas... Unfortunately I couldn't take a photo. As quickly as he was there, he was gone again...

The island shows even more what a paradise I am in right now...