Dolphins at Akaroa

Saturday was pretty wet and wild, but we were lucky with our trip to Kaikoura. We left the rain of Christchurch behind and drove over the port hills. At the Hilltop we stoopped for a spectacular view of.............clouds. We were high up in the clouds and couldnt quite see Akaroa through the mist. As we drove down out of the clouds the weather cleared up a lot and by the time we reached Akaroa it was still cool and cloudy, but there was no rain.

We arrived at the wharf 10 minutes before our harbour cruise left - perfect timing! (Thanks Hamish, great driving) A lot of the students came to Akaroa especially to see Dolphins, and we were all hopeful as we boarded the boat. Andy has done six tours with Hello New Zealand, and really wanted to see dolphins, as he had missed out on seeing Whales in kaikoura. Andy wasn't disappointed, we saw the Hectors Dolphin on the cruise. They are very small (1.3 metres) and very playful. They came close to the boat and swam along side us.

Seeing the dolphins was a definite highlight, but was also saw alot of other wildlife on the tour as well. We saw a lot of seabirds, seals, and even a penguin swimming! It was coold and the wind was blowing alot, but the animals didnt mind at all, they are used to living in the wild.

After the cruise we had plenty of spare time for lunch and to explore around Akaroa. Akaroa is very small, but very beautiful. It is right on the edge of the sea and all the cafes and shops face out onto the sea. Very romantic! It is also famous for its seafood, and has one of the most famous fish and chip shops in New Zealand. This was where most people chose to have their lunch. I had a big piece of fish, ahot dog and some chips. The chips were very very good, and the fish was fresh straight from the sea. I ate too much and couldn't finish my hotdog.

The weather after the cruise turned bad, and it started to rain alot. We had a nice long lunch and stayed dry in all the interesting art shops. Then we drove back to Christchurch, but on the way back we made one more stop at the cheese factory.
Most people hadn't seen cheese being made before, and the video they showed about it was very interesting. They were just finishing making cheese for the day so we watched the workers in the factory cleaning up. And then a brought a lot of cheese to take home for my dinner!!!

This week we are getting ready for our Mt Cook and Tekapo trip. Can't wait to see the mountains again :)