40.-43.Day - Marine Reserve Kaikoura

The first camping night on the east coast of the South Island prompts Karin to leave the warm sleeping bag prematurely to watch the sunrise. And she is not disappointed - being one of the first people to see the sun rise on this day is an amazing feeling.

We spend the rest of the day at the beach again, as other activities don't come to mind in the heat. Furthermore, a program point is already set for the next day: 

While Karin already sets off at 5:30 a.m. by boat to swim with the dolphins, Martin takes a speedboat out to sea a little later to watch whales. The search for sperm whales, which rise to the surface every 60 minutes from the deep trenches of the bay to breathe, doesn't take long and the camera is directed towards the sea. What a great sight, such a giant of the sea! 

Swimming with dolphins was at the top of the wishlist for the trip to New Zealand from the beginning. Equipped with a wetsuit, snorkel, diving mask and fins, you get an introduction to interacting with the animals. You enter their natural habitat and don't encounter trained animals, but rather free-living, wild dusky dolphins. After a boat ride of about fifteen minutes, the first dolphins appear and the siren sounds as a signal to 'enter the water'. Full of adrenaline, you jump into the cold water without hesitation and try to attract the extremely curious animals by making interesting sounds. When this succeeds and they not only swim past, but consciously observe and circle around you, your heart immediately beats faster! The dolphins come so close that you could easily touch them.

At times, you are surrounded by a school of animals - it's hard to believe. After a total of four dives, during which some mothers and their babies pass by, you still have the opportunity to observe the group of about 200 lively, active and agile animals from the boat.

So, I'm incredibly excited and can only recommend such an experience to everyone!

After these beautiful and exciting days by the sea, we head back inland to Hanmer Springs, an alpine thermal resort (at least that's how it's advertised). We book the evening entry as a bargain online and after 20 minutes, we wonder if this is all there is. Spoiled by the thermal regions of Austria, the small hot pools don't really impress us. So, we make use of the sports pool in its intended sense and swim a few laps.

On Wednesday, it's time for another hike, so we climb the local mountain from which we can enjoy a great view over Hanmer Springs. 

When the long-awaited rain finally arrives and doesn't seem to stop, we drive a few kilometers and prefer to spend the rest of the day at 'Wish', with plenty of time for a good book and a glass of red wine (the former for Karin, the latter for Martin :).

On Thursday, the next chapter of the journey begins and we move into our accommodation for the next two weeks in Waipara. We hope for 'Funny Stories 2.0' from this workplace and will keep you up to date.