Swimming With Dolphins

The next morning, Ingrid and I headed off for our dolphin encounter. The tour started off with full body wetsuits, as the water was close to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. After a quick movie that taught us about the wet suits we had just put on and what to do when in the water whilst swimming with dolphins (the trip, after all, was about us being entertaining to the dolphins as opposed to the other way around, so we learned to sing to, swim in circles around, and dive with the dolphins. After a quick bus trip to the wharf, we set off on a boat with our fellow swimmers (and a few observers) and traveled maybe 20 minutes south when the boat captain spotted a humpback whale in the water (an unusual occurrence for a humpback, so we were told). The boat got right up next to the whale, which was splashing about and not in any way intimidated by the boat. I got a stellar picture of the whale's tale out of the water. Then it was off to the dolphins. When the captain found a bottlenose pod that looked interested in swimming with humans (by coming up to the boat and showing off), all of the swimmers lined up on the back of the boat, feet dangling in the water, waiting for a horn to sound. The horn was our cue to slip into the water quietly and quickly and then to swim over to the dolphins. The water was cold and fairly murky, so it was difficult to see. I didn’t see any dolphins for a few minutes and occasionally looked up to the boat that would point in the direction of the dolphins, where we were to swim. Eventually, the swimmers made it to the pod of dolphins and then the playing commenced. The dolphins would up to you and make eye contact, then they would start to swim off. I swam in circles and chased after the dolphins for as long as my lungs would hold out and then start singing again to attract more dolphins. Time and time again, dolphins would approach and as I got more comfortable, I started to dive in the water, which I thought the dolphins like more than swimming in circles or singing. After the horn sounded again we swam back to the boat and changed into dry clothes for a little dolphin observing. The bottlenose dolphins were jumping out of the water, slapping tails, and more, as it was mating season and the dolphins wanted to attract attention. At last that tour ended and we headed up the coast to Blenheim, stopping at a small shack called Cay’s Crays for some lobster (New Zealanders call lobsters crayfish). The lobsters were good and fresh and unadorned and quite a bit cheaper than at the restaurants in town (NZ$21 vs NZ$90). Blenheim is located in the Malborough wine district, which is why we stopped over. The town was very drab (it didn’t help that it was raining) and the downtown lacked shopping and focus. But after checking into our hotel, which was fairly nice, we wandered down to a recommended restaurant (Bacchus) for dinner; and, dinner was absolutely amazing. The meal commenced at 6 PM. The interior of the restaurant was painted a deep purple/eggplant color; the tables were a light-colored wood; the daily specials were written on small chalkboards (one special per chalkboard) mounted to the walls. Ingrid and I decided to order a bottle of wine (a Spy Valley Merlot) for the evening, and as we normally do, we shared meals. The meal began with a seafood boulliabase (which had incredibly fresh seafood, including the famed green-lipped mussels, salmon, shrimp, & butterfish) and a mixed green salad with capers, sun-dried tomatoes and a tarragon-dill vinnagarette. For entrees, I had the braised beef (beef atop a winter mash of potatoes & turnips, spicy fries, and an intense wine reduction sauce); Ingrid had the rack of lamb (served au jous on mashed onion, carrot, and potatoes). Dessert was a rhubarb crumble and white chocolate mousse with passion fruit sauce, ice cream, and a meringue, all garnished with a powdered sugar dusted lavender flower.