Akaroa Dolphins

... smallest and rarest dolphin in the world and Thomas was obvioulsy really keen to see them. So we booked on to a swimming with dolphins tours just as watchers as the swimming was fully booked. We felt pretty stupid when we turned up and it was only the ...

... . It was a crazy hour or so in the water which just went so very very quickly. It had been another truly magical day in New Zealand and this to be fair had been one of our highlights. Indeed it had been so good that the skipper suggested this had been ...

... for our own good. The last few days have been immense though and we thought it would be good to give people an idea why New Zealand is such a special country. By 2pm we had grown so hungry as luxurious French meals were served all around us that we could ...

... Gloucester St and Madras St, with the Avon River gently snaking through town. It seems that after the wettest February for years New Zealand is experiencing an Indian summer. Today was beautiful but I couldn't really be arsed to do anything. I think ...

... spotted the star attraction of the Akaroa boat trip - the Hector Dolphin. This harbour is one of the few areas in New Zealand that these small, rare dolphins can be seen - and New Zealand is the only country in the world that they can be seen! At first ...

... from the boat. There's something very comical about these foundering human shapes trying to interact with the bullet-movements of the dolphins: Sylvester versus Speedy Gonzales. The Hector's dolphins may be plentiful, but I'd have to say that we got our ...

... is supposed to be exceptionally beautiful. For now though, we have started travelling around and seeing the sights. After 2 weeks in New Zealand we still had not sighted a single sheep or a mountain! We headed south of Christchurch and as soon as we ...

... it slowly opened out fully on its own - marvellous. A quick roll up and clipping of the back window curtain and there it was - Akaroa harbour just after sunrise. What a sight to wake up to. We just lay there half asleep staring at the harbour with the ...

... the world to feel and live the Akaroa vibe. For the most part, I am sick of backpacker questions: ‘how long are you in New Zealand for? How long have you been here so far? What are your plans afterwards? Blah blah blah. I still like the ...

... we head on to find some friendlier ones.  It's good that they're not forced to interact with us. Eventually we come across 3 dolphins that hang about for a while and we are told to get in the water.  It's 11 degrees and extremely cold!  ...