Spring Fling

Last Sunday was a gorgeous spring day without a cloud in the sky and temps in the 20s (°C). We returned to Akaroa (long harbour in Maori), a charming town that tries to recreate the feel of a provincial village at the site of NZ’s first French settlement. Akaroa is about 80 minutes south of ChCh on the Banks peninsula. Our goal this time was to go in search of Hector’s dolphins and blue penguins. The waters around Akaroa are home to the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin, the Hector’s, found only in NZ waters. The creatures are only about 1-1.5 metres long with a distinctive rounded dorsal fin. We donned wet suits and snorkelling gear and took a two hour tour with Black Cat Cruises in an attempt to get swimming alongside the dolphins.

We saw plenty of white flippered little blue penguins on our way out of the harbour but the dolphins were a bit more elusive (memories of the previous kiwi bird quest were going through our minds).

We cruised south along the coast just outside the harbour and then back across the mouth of the harbour until finally we spotted a pod of 3 dolphins.

We got a good look at them from the boat as they frolicked by several times.

Then it was time to get in the water. The water was really cold but the full wet suit, complete with gloves, booties, and hood, made it bearable.

Our job in the water was to entertain the dolphins (not vice versa). We were told to sing through the end of our snorkel and blow bubbles out under water. One of the swimmers had two rocks to click together to peak the dolphins interest. I made a fool of myself blowing bubbles and singing. Unfortunately, upon close inspection, the pod turned out to be two males and a female who were more interested in playing with each other (it being spring time) than with us. Doug was the only person in our group of 10 swimmers that got up close and personal with the dolphins in the water. They were so busy with each other that they almost ran into him. Doug now feels vindicated with respect to his less than ideal experience with the great whites in South Africa. Once the tour operators realized what the dolphins were up to they got us out of the water and back to the dock we went. They try not to interfere with the dolphins unless they want to play. Because the dolphin swim was not great for everyone in the group, we all got a partial refund on our trip. Black Cat Cruises stands by their guarantee of swimming with the dolphins.

We continued our day with a short walk to the site of Onawe Pa (fortified Maori village) on a peninsula in the middle of Akaroa Harbour. Onawe is connected to the mainland by a razor thin ridge so we had to cross over and back at low tide. The wide grassy slope then rises to the summit at 100 metres above sea level.

Manuka forest and thick grass now largely obscure the details of the pa site. In 1831,Ngai Tahu retreated to this site when they heard of the approach of Te Rauparaha’s warriors from north island and the subsequent fall of Kaiapoi Pa (north of present day ChCh). Despite the very secure boundaries of the pa and extensive palisades, Te Rauparaha used captured Ngai Tahu men as a shield and broke through the defences. It is said that the slaughter was immense, followed by a cannibal feast on the beach.

Here Doug is trying to strike a fierce Maori pose with his eyes bulging and tongue sticking out.

The area is very peaceful now with beautiful views of Akaroa Harbour.

After a delicious light lunch at the Hilltop Café we explored a few fishing possibilities on the way home and found a young black swan family.







Spring is definitely in the air and we had a great day!