Swimming with seals

For a whole three nights I am in Kaikoura and I am very excited. The lodge is really well located, 5 minutes from the sea or the center. It has a wonderful garden and breakfast is brought to the room. The place is very manageable, with the road right by the sea, lots of bars and restaurants. There are some activities offered. The travel agency has booked a swimming with seals for me, a gift from them.

I have to be at Seal Swim Shop at 9:15. Vanessa, the owner, says right away that there is a cold water warning. We get all the equipment for divers, just with snorkel and goggles. We are taken to the boat by bus, and then it goes out to sea. We see the seals from the boat, as they lie on land and rest. It is very hot, almost 30°, and some seals go into the water to cool off. We get ready to go into the water too. It's cool, you can tell even with the wetsuit, but it's fine. There are proper algal trees in the water and you feel like you're swimming through a forest. The seals are very curious and come really close. They come from all sides and are gone with a quick movement. We can swim with the seals for a whole 2 hours. Once back on board, the wetsuit is filled with warm water, it feels like a spa treatment, really very pleasant. After swimming, I'm very hungry and eat Malay noodles at a stand.

The next day I have planned a hike around the peninsula. It was very nice to walk along the coast and enjoy the view. Then there were fish & chips.