Kaikoura

A short drive north of Christchurch and you hit the small town of Kaikoura which was once a sleepy fishing village until someone discovered that the deep sea trench near the coast attracts a lot of sea mammals so tourism kicked off in the area. I'd heard form various people that swimming with dolphins is fantastic here so I booked my self into the 5.20am cruise which was far too early for my liking. The boat was small and just after sunrise we started seeing the dolphins heading toward shore. These Dusky dolphins feed alone over night and then head to shore at sunrise to form pods and have a bit of a social gathering. We were told to act dolphin like in the water and make lots of noise so the dolphins will be more interested in us. The whole experience was amazing (despite the freezing water) and about 400 dolphins where sighted and I reckon about 150 swam past me. The dolphins were pretty quick and came from all directions which made a few of us a little motion sick! It was definitely one of the best things I've done. Sea World, eat your heart out!