Dolphins

We rode the Ferry across the Channel to Picton so we could swim with Dolphins. It was a very short trip. On Saturday afternoon we caught the ferry with friends. It's like the Super Ferry they used to have in Hawaii, only so much bigger. They actually drive trains on to it. It's about a three hour ride. When we came into the Marlborough Sound on the South island, it was so beautiful. It looked a lot like Vancouver Canada actually, with all the pine tree forests, little islands, and houses right on the water. It was pretty grey outside, but still so beautiful because we got there right at sunset. So the light was shining through the clouds, making the ocean sparkle. Picton is a tiny little town that thrives on tourism. Since it was the end of Summer, it felt pretty deserted, just a few locals, herds of restless teenagers. To save money, we decided not to bring our car. Instead we found the closest holiday park and camped there for the night. Holiday parks are funny. They are mostly catered toward Camper Vans and RVs. So when we got there, we felt a little out of place. We pitched our tent next to a couple vintage charter buses that had been converted into homes. Above us was a ridge with railroad tracks. By this time, I think we all knew we wouldn't get that good of a nights sleep, which turned out to be true. In fact, I thought it was pretty hilarious. We first were woken up by sirens, you know, the ones that go off in San Luis Obispo every month as a drill, just in case there the nuclear power plant has a melt down. I guess that's just what they use to call the volunteer firemen. Then every possible type of siren imaginable went off, police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and of course howling dogs. After all of that, we fell back asleep, only to be woken up by an occasional train, some feral cats, and a few cars peeling out. At about 4:30, I of course really had to go to the bathroom. I went back to bed and then, at about 5:30am was woken up by bagpipes and Maori chanting of all things. As it turned out they were celebrating ANZAC Day with a dawn parade. Its a national holiday that remembers all of the different soldiers that fought at the battle of Galopoli in World War I.
Then we walked down to the harbour and got on a boat to look for dolphins. It was the last day of the season, so if we didn't catch them this time, we would have had to wait until next summer. After about 45 minutes we stumbled upon them. There were maybe 15 bottle nose in a very curious and playful mood. I had swam with dolphins before. But they were spinners, which is a much smaller variety. But the bottle nose are really big, much bigger than me. They swam right up to our boat. And when we jumped into the water, they swam right up to us. They got so close that I had to turn away so I wouldn't touch them. They look right at you and study you. It was so amazing. I turned and twisted and swam as fast as I could to keep up with them. The most amazing thing was that they wanted to hang out with us. We didn't force them to. For about 40 minutes we enjoyed their company. We ended up swimming into a school of Jelly fish. They didn't sting or anything. But I was surprised at how much substance they had after bumping into them a few times. After a while, the dolphins just disappeared. We got back in the boat and caught up with them. The made right for us and road our wakes and put on a show for about 20 minutes. A fur seal was traveling with them, leaping out of the water like he was one. It was so cute. Then we said goodbye and came home. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had. I felt so safe and calm amongst these wild animals. I felt honored that they were even interested in us. We are such awkward, strange things compared to them.