Along the way we stopped for a short rainy hike to some "green pools" my mom had visited earlier in the month and said were gorgeous. Again, we found just gray because of the weather.
The weather magically cleared up when we reached Franz Josef Glacier, so although we brought our rain jackets when we hiked to see it, we didn't need them. We found this place so fascinating because there was tropical vegetation everywhere (ferns etc), then this huge icy glacier! I thought it was a spectacular place.
Franz Josef Glacier:
My dad, sister and I hiked up further, up slippery slopes/roots/rocks using ropes that had been bolted in place, to get a better view.
Glacial popsicle:
Later on our long drive up north we stopped in Greymouth for Indian food. It tasted sooo good. We went as far north as Murchison. It had been hard to find a place with an opening that would be open for our late arrival. The place we secured reminded us of staying at our Uncle Rex's house when we were little.
The next day we set out for Abel Tasman National Park. The plan was to catch a water taxi in Motueka and hike back along the amazing coastal trail, which took us from white sand beach to white sand beach.
Abel Tasman National Park:
I loved these toadstools!
We snorkled at this beach and saw a ray and a funny hairy crab. The water was not as warm as it looked and I was shivering for quite a while after emerging.
Stillwater beach:
Here there was a rivermouth/ ocean backwater area we had to wade across to get to this section where Jeremy and my dad went in for a snorkle. The tide was rising fast and I had my clothes on and got wet on the way back. It was soo peaceful here; we were the only ones around.
It was getting darker and we still had a ways to go.
It actually was dark when we made it back to our car. And we were famished. We found a place to stay along the way to Nelson, went grocery shopping to stock up and then went out to eat at another highly recommended Indian restaurant. It really was superb.
The next day Jeremy researched the weather patterns and we decided to shorten our time at the Queen Charlotte Track in the Picton area so that we could get to Kaikoura for our dolphin swim when the weather was still good. Our afternoon hike on the Queen Charlotte track was beautiful, 'tho quite steep and HOT! Jeremy had a pulled muscle so he swam in the sound while we hiked. My mom took the car to the end and hiked backwards to meet us. Unfortunately we were up at a viewpoint when she went hiking by on the main trail and we missed each other.
Queen Charlotte Track:
We lounged around at our destination beach/ meeting place waiting for Jeremy and my mom. There was a school camp there and they let us take their kayaks out, which was for a short time but still cool. I saw loads of white jelly fish. I admit, I poked a couple with my oar.
After we regrouped we found that Jeremy and my mom had spent a great deal of time trying to reschedule our dolphin swimming trip and book lodging for the next 2 nights in Kaikoura. Apparently the next day's trips were all booked, but they said to keep trying back because there were usually cancellations. They managed to get 2 spots during their multiple attempts. We made one last try and luckily got another spot! Sadly, that meant 2 of us wouldn't get to go, and my parents volunteered. We hopped in the car and stopped by the picturesque town of Picton for some dinner. We had fish n chips again. This time it was Butterfish, which I assume is named as such for the way it melt in your mouth. This fish n chips meal was probably our best, although the lady was way stingy on the malt vinegar.
Fish n' Chips at Picton Harbor:
It was dark when we arrived in Kaikoura so it took a while to find our cottages. When we found them we were delighted! They were so nice, and we felt lucky that they were available (and grateful to my mom and jeremy for finding them). The next day we woke up super early to head to our dolphin trip. While at the site, my mom and dad found out that even though they only allow 12 in the water at a time, they could still suit up and if someone came in they could jump in. So we all suited up in super thick wetsuits and headed out on the boat. I was so grateful for calmer water than my previous experience in the Pacific. The dramamine worked beautifully.
This experience ended up being the highlight of my trip.
Kaikoura Sunrise:
The boat drove until it came upon a pod of wild dusky dolphins. The pod we found was huge--with 400 dolphins in it! This type of dolphin is extremely playful, curious and acrobatic. It was SO fun to just watch them from the boat doing their jumps, head over tail somersaults and twists. But then we got to get in the water with them. I can't even describe the feeling. The process was that the crew would sound a horn, and we could jump in the water. If you made noise, the dolphins would swim over to you to investigate. If you made eye contact with them they would swim circles around you for as long as you could last! It was quite dizzying but an amazing feeling to interact with the wild animals this way. They are completely untrained--not fed or coerced in any manner by this excursion company. Jeremy was really good at swimming with them. He would dive down underwater (quite a challenge with that thick wetsuit) and look down to find them below him just staring at him.
At the end of the trip our crew made sure there was time for my parents to get in.
This is my dad swimming with the dusky dolphins. Jeremy caught this shot.
Apparently when pairs are jumping together it usually means they are mating. Apparently they are quite promiscuous. The guide told us that they tracked some females and found that they mated with 5-7 different males in a matter of minutes.
Here's one doing a twist jump in the distance while I filmed the ones who were surfing the boat wake right below me. I thought the markings on these dolphins were so beautiful. It helped that I got to examine these creatures so closely. They were close enough to us to touch, but we weren't supposed to (although Jeremy did).
On the boat ride back our guides also pointed out some huge albatross--6 foot wingspans at least, and we also saw some seals.
What a rush! After our trip we checked to see if there were any waves at some of the well-known surf spots. There were none. Totally flat day (which was good for my sea tolerance). We explored downtown a little, saw some surf shops and traditional NZ jewelry shops. I treated my sweet tooth to some candy.
After we got back to our cottage we explored the coastal area by foot. This is what it looked like right across from our cottages:
Emily and I went on a run along the cliffs, which was gorgeous and felt great!! After our run we decided to snorkle since the water was so clear. There were some great sea plants to see but actually not a lot of creatures. And the water was frigid. I didn't last long.
Shortly after returning, the cottage owner (Graham) invited us to go out with him to pull in his fishing nets.
Catching a butterfish:
He also took us around to see the local seal colonies.
Isn't this guy sweet...
We watched some of the seals being territorial, barking at each other etc. When we returned Emily and I wanted to show everyone where we had run so we hiked the nearby coastal cliffs.
Hiking Kaikoura coastline:
Such clear water:
Jeremy and I turned around early, because we were holding out hope for maybe a little more swell at the surf spots. No such luck. In talking to the guy at the surf shop earlier he had said that just days before it had been the best surf he'd had in 5 years. Bad timing on our part.
When we got back to the cottage, Graham had skinned and filleted all 6 of the fish he caught and gave them to us for dinner. Jeremy and I went to the grocery store to get things to go with it. My dad seasoned the fish and wrapped them in foil and cooked them on the grill. We made garlic mashed potatoes and "tickleroot" on the side. Wow. It was so tasty. We just couldn't believe how nice Graham was, to take us out on his boat first of all, but to give us all the fish?
The next morning the forecast proved correct and it was once again raining. We got in the car and drove back down to Christchurch, from where we were flying back to the north island the next day. We took Emily back to Taylor's Mistake where we did the same hike, it was so lovely.
Back in Christchurch:
After that, we went back to the city and walked around downtown.
Christchurch art museum
Christchurch botanical gardens:
That evening, my dad treated us to a very nice meal in downtown Christchurch. Afterwards we searched high and low for a dessert establishment since those at the restaurant didn't strike our fancy. No such luck, but it was fun to walk around the city some more.
The next morning we had to arise early once again to head to the airport. My dad dropped us off then took the rental car back. We flew back to Auckland and took the shuttle to my parent's place. Jeremy and I used their swimming pool to do some laps, which was so nice and refreshing. We also went to the store to stock up on goods to take home. We were also able to walk around Auckland some more before having another nice lamb meal at my parent's, then getting on the shuttle again to head back to the airport.
Our loot (only 2 of the 7 packets of crumpets are pictured):
We thought we had arrived in plenty of time at the airport, but the Air New Zealand line was soooo long. There were several high school rugby teams heading home from a tournament or something. After a very long wait, we were allowed to jump ahead in line since our flight was boarding. So it was a hectic end to our vacation.
We highly recommend New Zealand, and hope ourselves to be able to return again. We felt so grateful for the chance to see the country, and were in awe of its beauty.
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