Bay of Islands

Hi there,

Upon arriving in Russel, we made our way to the information center to get some information about activities. There, we immediately booked a boat tour for the following day, which we thought was the best option. Firstly, the tour takes you all day across the Bay of Islands, stopping at all the interesting points. Secondly, it guarantees sightings of wild dolphins and the opportunity to swim with them, if conditions permit. In the evening, we went out for dinner to celebrate Easter. We found a restaurant by the sea and the food was delicious. We treated ourselves to a 3-course meal. The next day, we woke up early, packed our stuff, went to the jetty, and waited for our boat. Our boat departed at around 9:40 am and our captain informed us that we might occasionally be filmed by a helicopter taking photos for a new brochure. On the way to the "Hole in the Rock," we saw the helicopter for the first time. When we arrived at the hole, we even drove through it twice with our boat to ensure a good picture for the brochures while being photographed by the helicopter. The whole day was very interesting! We passed by 14 islands and learned something about each one. After about 30 minutes on the water, we were already visited by the first dolphins, including a dolphin baby. Since there was a baby, we were not allowed to swim with them and we continued with the wild dolphin spectacle after 20 minutes. At noon, we stopped at a small deserted beach where we had an hour to rest or climb a hill. I decided to go for a swim and then lie in the sun. Daniel went swimming with me first and then climbed the small hill. Back on the boat, we were prepared for swimming with the dolphins. We were given masks, snorkels, and fins. Since the water was 22 degrees, we didn't need wetsuits. The crew threw a net down the side of the boat, and we had to jump into it. There were about 50 people on our boat, but only 11 of us went swimming with the dolphins. In the net, we had to wait for the signal that dolphins were present and we were allowed to swim towards them in the sea. There was a crew member in the water who swam ahead of us, and we all followed behind. It was incredible how huge these animals are. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat and didn't dive down, but I just watched them as they swam beneath me. Daniel, on the other hand, got so close to them that one of them looked him in the eye. Since they are wild animals, we are not allowed to touch them. Shortly after the dolphins left, we had to get back into the net like fish and hold onto it while the captain sailed to the next spot where dolphins were. It was so much fun. We went further three times. It was really worth it, and I have never swum so far out in the sea while dolphins swam beneath me. It was incredible!!! I still can't quite believe it... like something out of a movie. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of us in the water. Once back on the boat, it didn't take long before we were back on land. There, we bought ingredients for a pizza, prepared it, put it in the oven, ate it, and went to bed early because everything had been so exciting that day. Such experiences stay with you for a lifetime, and we are grateful to be able to experience them.