Dolphins

Oddly, the best thing about my three-day tramp was not; the walk itself, the scenery or the companions I was with, all of which were fantastic, it was the chance to swim with dolphins that was the highlight. I had no idea this was a possibility until at a briefing on the first night when the hut warden said to be sure to visit the beach near the next hut, as dolphins frequent the old harbour piers and it was worth the extra walk to see them.

On arrival at the Port Craig hut the next evening, and after a quick cup of tea, we headed off down to the beach. And there, frolicking around the old piers, were dolphins. With no hesitation I stripped off and ran in.

The water was crystal clear and fairly bracing but it was wonderful to be in the water with these beasties. They are Hectors dolphins, the smallest dolphin in New Zealand and relatively rare (and hard to photogragh - click on the pix to see it bigger). They never let you too close, if you move towards them, they move out, if you move in shore they follow you. If you just stay put they swoop around you. Magic!



I went down there again in the morning to catch the sunset and went in for another swim and the dolphins were there again. My sister-in-law, who was tramping with us, went in for a quick dip too. But, I couldn’t convince my husband to get. He just doesn’t feel comfortable being too close to wildlife in their natural environment.