Thank You Mr. Hooker for the Dolphins
Trip Start
May 22, 2005
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98
107
Trip End
Jan 22, 2006
Paihia (Bay of Islands),
New Zealand
Monday, December 19, 2005
The Bay of Islands is a collection of 144 islands located near the northern tip of the North Island. New Zealand is also opposite land so the further north you get the warmer the weather is supposed to get. The area features four sleepy little towns: Paihia, Waitangi, Russell and Kerikeri. The Bay of Islands is advertised as a tropical location. The brochures depict white sand beaches and warm blue waters. The beautiful beaches were there but as we were to discover, the weather and the water were anything but warm.
We had strategically picked Paihia as our base because of its central location. We checked into our complementary upgraded suite and spent the first day lazing around Paihia. Paihia is the epitome of quaint. There is one main boardwalk along the shore and one main commercial strip running through the middle of town. Family run bed and breakfasts dot the side streets. A pleasant half hour walk was all that was needed to knock Paihia off the list. We then rode the ferry through the choppy waters of the Bay to the even "quainter" Russell.
Russell was the first capital of New Zealand. Now it is a pretty little town whose main purpose is to seduce vacationing urbanites with the intoxicating aroma of a simpler life. We wandered Russell's quiet streets in the light rain and stopped by a local store to pick up a few scoops of Hokey Pokey.
"Thank you Mr. Hooker" said the smiling young girl on the billboard. We saw this peculiar sign in Paihia and upon closer inspection figured out that Mr. Hooker is a real estate agent and the young girl was thanking him for finding her family a home. Mr. Hooker should change his name or not use it so prominently in his ads.
While Paihia is sleepy, there is a lot to do out on the Bay. Mel had always wanted to swim with dolphins in the wild and so we signed up for a boat tour that promised the opportunity to swim with Flipper. The day of our tour was overcast, so we dressed warmly and boarded our sturdy looking cruiser. The trip started out smoothly, but as we left the shelter of the nearby islands the wind and waves picked up considerably.
Our first stop was the "Hole in the Rock". This is a large hole in a large rock that juts out of the Bay. Paul has no sea legs whatsoever, so he spent most of the trip out to the Hole with his eyes closed trying not to be sick. Many of our fellow passengers fought this same battle with varying degrees of success. Leaving the Hole, we caught our first glimpse of a school of dolphins that playfully darted through the waves on either side of our boat.
Our next stop was a quiet island where we sat on the beach to eat our peanut butter banana sandwiches. The only other companions we had on the beach was a flock of puffy white sheep that were grazing on the steep grassy slopes that rose behind the small crescent-shaped beach. After lunch we began to look in earnest for dolphins to swim with in calmer waters. Flipper and friends found us and we all suited up with wet suits and snorkels. The crew lowered a large net contraption over the side of the boat. This boon would act as our lifeline as the boat guided us closer to the dolphins. We were told that the water would be quite cold, but nothing quite prepared us for the ice bath that was waiting for us. Even with the wet suits we had chattering teeth and numb limbs moments after jumping into the "tropical" water. Mel actually felt her leg go into spasms.
We jealously eyed our thicker and better "covered" boon-mates. The method to the madness was that the floundering tourists would ride along awkwardly in the boon as the boat guided us closer to the dolphins, then at the appointed time we would leave the boon and madly swim in the direction given by the crew towards the slippery flashes of mammal. From the boat the whole thing must have been hilarious and I'm sure the dolphins got a good chuckle out of it as well. Regardless it was worth it to get a chance to share the water with real wild dolphins.
