Dolphin Encounter in Kaikoura

I got up early and drove to the Dolphin Encounter centre in the town. I had to wait around for a while and then we got changed in to wet suits before given a talk and shown a video about the dolphins and region. We were split in to three boats and headed to find the pods which were only a few minutes away, lucky for us (it can take up to an hour to reach the dolphins). We spent a while watching the hundreds of dolphins playing, jumping, flipping; it was incredible!

Then we got to jump in and swim around with them. It was as amazing as I had imagined. We had to make silly high-pitch noises to attract the dolphins to us. We spent quite a long time in the water before we went back on the boat and headed to an area with clearer water. I loved every second of it!

None of my photos can do it justice, especially with the vast numbers (there were at least 300), but I made this video with my GoPro: https://youtu.be/X2gbT3fgUTE

Back on land, I showered off at the centre and started my drive north. As I was leaving town, I saw a backpacker. As I didn't know where I was driving to exactly, I hesitated about picking her up but went back to ask where she was going. She had a ferry to catch in Picton later that day, so I said I could at least take her part of the way. She's Canadian and called Aly.

We stopped off at Ohau Stream to see dozens of baby seals playing in the clear water. They were full over energy, jumping, diving, clapping, play fighting. We wanted to keep them all, they were so cute and playful (see the extra photos).

We passed through a town called Ward so I posed next to the sign (again, see the extra photos). I decided I might as well drive Aly to Blenheim where she should could hopefully easily get a lift to the ferry. She still had a couple of hours to get 30 minutes away, so we had time to visit a chocolate factory I'd been told about. We had some free samples and then both bought a box each. I drove her to a good place for getting another lift and I had time for one winery before they closed.

I drove off the main roads for about 15 minutes to a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite which was a beautiful open field in the middle of a forrest surrounded by mountains. It was a $6 donation to stay there, along with three other vans. So peaceful!