Swimming in Circles with Dolphins is Tiring

After Christchurch we headed to Kaikoura. It's located north on the coast and known for its marine mammal viewing and place to eat fish. We decided to do the swim with the dolphins. When we arrived it was cold and windy so we spent the afternoon in a cafe. I got Seafood Chowder with lots of fish and shellfish...yummy! It's worth a visit here just for the chowder. The swim with the dolphins was all booked but they told us to go to the place at 8 to see if there are any spots. We found a great place to park our car and sleep for the night. It was right on the beach with great views...nothing like a room with a view! There was snow on top of the mountains. We ended up getting on board of the dolphin swim (and boy were we in for a treat!). We got into thick wet suits for the swim. We learned about the dolphins and how to interact with them. They are Dusky Dolphins. We visited them in their natural habitat. They don't do anything like feeding them to entice them into the area. There are also strict laws about how the tour can interact with the dolphins. Only a certain amount of people are allowed. We got into the boat and took a 30minute ride out to the dolphins. We were given snorkels and masks. The best ways to get them to interact with you are to dive down, make noise, or make eye contact then swim in circles. There is a horn on the boat and when it sounds, were to get into the water. All of a sudden I look and there are tons of dolphins coming straight for us. The horn sounds and into the water I go. There are dolphins everywhere(we were told later that we swam with around 250)! They were swimming all around. I made eye contact with one. It began swimming around me as I turned in circles and continued making eye contact. I ended up doing with about 20 different dolphins. When I got tired of swimming around with them, I would look up and see them do flips in the air. It was hard to decide whether to watch them do flips or play with them in the water. I did lots of both. I could just see what the dolphins where thinking...if I go in circles those stupid humans will do it too! It was just a game they were playing with us. It was such great fun! I can't believe I got to swim with 250 dolphins in the wild. When we got back, Sara and I both bought Trees for Travelers to help offset our co2 emissions from our travels. There's now a tree planted in Kaikoura for the Price Family. Now everyone must come to see the tree and while you're at it explore New Zealand. In the afternoon, we went on a hike around the peninsula. We stopped at the Seal Colony and saw the seals. Beautiful views all around! On our way out of Kaikoura. I stopped and bought a Crayfish. This thing was huge. The size of a medium size lobster (mom, you and Nettie would love it). I'll let you know how it tastes.