Water, water everywhere

We stopped off at Hamner Springs, famous for its thermal waters. John deserved a massage and some water treatment with a good soak after all of his driving. Only one night there then on to the east coast, Kaikoura. The main point of visiting this little peninsula town was to swim with dolphins. That was a scary and fun experience. After getting outfitted in wet suits (no photos, thank you), we rode out into the South Pacific searching for dusky dolphins. These are the  acrobats that jump and spin in fantastical fashion.

We found them and jumped in the sea to get a close encounter. Poor John had major trouble with his mask not sealing due to his facial hair and gave up. I braved the great big ocean for several leaps of faith and got to see them up close and personal.

The peninsula is a limestone formation with numerous coves accessible by a trail on the cliffs. We enjoyed seeing the seals and numerous birds. There is a conservation effort underway for the Hutton shearwater birds.

Next up was Lake Tekapo for the Mt. John Night Sky Observatory. This was one of the highlights I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, the clouds are thick and no stars so we had to cancel. However, the lake is gorgeous with fields of lupine in full bloom.

Tomorrow we head over to Mt Cook which is only 100 km away. We plan for some hiking and to take in the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum.

Kaikoura  peninsula walk on the east coast.

More of  the peninsula walk at Kaikoura. No dolphin swim photos, sorry.

Photo paradise. The water is pure turquoise, probably even better on a sunny day.

Lake Tekapo.