Alyse Horn, 2011 New Zealand student blogger, writes:
During our last week in New Zealand Penn State and Virginia Tech really got to experience the marine life as well as the unique off shore and mainland island sancutuaries found in this country, which is something we have all been waiting for.
This past Saturday we split into two groups and went hiking and kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park. This is New Zealands smallest national park and is placed along a beautiful coastline filled with pockets of sandy beaches. After hiking the coast for a few hours my group got suited up to go kayaking. While paddling around out on the open water we went around some off shore island sanctuaries that are predator free. These islands help the population of endangered birds grow without the threat of invasive predators. The birds songs were loud, but beautiful to hear. The only downside to this day trip, it rained the entire time. My group was out on the ocean kayaking for around three hours in what seemed like a monsoon. It was a great feeling reaching shore, but of course while getting out of the kayak I fell in. For some unknown reason I thought it was okay to stand up in a kayak, and whatever part of my body that was not wet was soaked in about a second. At that point I couldn’t help but laugh, and neither could anyone else. Pictured right is our group gearing up for the kayaking trip.
Monday we made the trip to Kaikoura. Along the way we stopped to take a five minute hike up to a waterfall where baby seals were to be found, and the site was unbelievable. There were hundreds of pups splashing around in the water, and it was just magical. They were so close to us and some of them even decided to check us out, coming within a foot of onlookers. Once we reached Kaikoura we went on a walk down the coastline to observe grown seals in their natural habitat. This was also an amazing walk, because again we were able to come within feet of these animals to get an up close and personal experience.
The next day we were given the chance to really understand the Maori culture. The Maori’s are the native people who came to New Zealand some 800 years ago before Europeans arrived. We learned a waiata (Maori song) and went on a walk through the woods with the Maori who told us about each plant and how it was used in ancient Maori times. It was very interesting hearing the Maori talk about their ancestors and how they used to live compared to their lives today. It was a great expeirence, because we finally were able to get down to the roots of New Zealand’s culture.
Wednesday was the day that we had all been waiting for, our dusky dolphin encounter. When we woke up in the morning it was raining again, and a lot of us were bummed because we didn’t think we would be able to swim with the dolphins. The despair increased once we arrived at Encounter Kaikoura and learned that the day before they could not locate the dolphins. We got suited up anyway and went out to search for the dolphins on the Pacific Ocean. Our luck changed dramatically after about 20 minutes out on the boat. First, our group sighted a Humpback whale, and within the next 10 minutes we saw a Sperm whale. This was all very cool, but our main focus was to keep looking out for the dolphins. Then, finally, we saw them. Even more spectacular, they were swimming with Orca whales. What was weird about this was the fact that the dolphins are the main food source for Orca, and also because it is very late in the season to even see Orca in Kaikoura. Our guide coundn’t stress enough how unusual this was, but such a treat for all of us. The bummer was that we couldn’t swim with the dolphins while the Orca were around us, so we had to drive 20 minutes south of our location. Then we were able to slide into the freezing Pacific Ocean to hang out with these wild dolphins. We were told to sing to them to keep them interested in us, and surprisingly they really responded to “Hey Jude” by The Beatles.
Today is our last day here in New Zealand, and I can speak for Penn State and Virgina Tech when we say it is going to be a bittersweet farewell.
This country is one we explored with no boundries, trekking through the bush and hiking to the top of mountains made us feel invincible. For the rest of our lives we are going to remember the times we spent together and the experiences we shared. We all really made a connection through traveling, but our love for New Zealand will keep us bonded forever. Pictured right is the view from our accommodation in Akaroa on our last night in New Zealand, what a beautiful good bye!
