Akaroa - Swimming with Hector Dolphins! [January 13 - 15]

On Saturday I traveled to Akaroa, which is just beneath Christchurch. On Sunday I went swimming with Hector Dolphins, the rarest and smallest Dolphins in the world. It was mind blowing....


That is not me, but it gives you an idea how we swam.


Me, being really cold. That is hot tea I am drinking there.


One of the many caves alongside the shores of the harbor.


Hector Dolphins. They grow up to 1.20 meter.



Akaroa Bay.


View from the hostel...

More later...

Christchurch [January 7 - 12]

The plan was to buy a car in Christchurch. What a stress that resulted in. But I succeeded and am now the proud owner of Mister Hankey! :D


Church of Christchurch.






Tram in Christchurch.


Mister Hankey! :]

To be continued!

Crossing the Cook Street to the South Island & Kaikoura [January 5 - 7]

On January 5th I traveled from the North Island to the South Island by ferry, the Interislander.


First glimpses of the South Island.


The boat trip took 3 and a half hours. And I spend most of the time on deck, being mesmerised by the views...


One of the many bays of the Marlborough Sounds.


Then I took the train - the Tranzcoastal - to Kaikoura. A trip of just over 2 and a half hours. They had a carriage with no window panes. Perfect to take snapshots of the coastline.


And the weather also looked really promising.


Me on the train. A lot of wind!


The beach near Kaikoura. Black volcanic sand, like most New Zealand beaches.


The girls at the hostel where I stayed in Kaikoura. Fun, fun, fun!


The next day I went whale watching. This is a 15 meter Sperm Whale - blowing out his air.


The Royal Albatross - the biggest albatross in New Zealand.


Dusky Dolphins. Trust me - once you see them, you keep taking pictures. They were so much fun to watch. They are called the acrobats of the sea.


Isn't (s)he adorable?


There were at least 150 dolphins nearby, stunting in the water.


A furry seal that is way off-shore.


The tale of a Sperm Whale. Quite impressive and almost magical...


One of the signs in Kaikoura and on the street there was an image of a whale...

... and this was its tale. .

I am in Christchurch now. More about that later on!

I would love to know who views my blog - so if you do, could you post a comment to let me know? I would really appreciate that, and would know if I actually have to continue with this photo blog. :)

New Years Eve and Wellington - Moving from Ilja to Coralie & Carl to Paul & Wendy [December 29 - January 5]

On Saturday December 29 I left Renee's house and moved to Ilja, an on-line friend of Tijmen, who has been living in New Zealand for 20 years now, but is originally from the Netherlands. She was really sweet and I felt very welcome.


Porirua, the bay, next to where Ilja lives.


Ollo and Ilja.


Ilja and her two birds, Sam -on her head- and Kip. Such funny animals.


New Years Eve at Coralie's place, where her friend Pam had to drink Vodka out of a pan on the hill. After all, she did drew the last King. .


The next day, relaxing in the sun. Kitty -the cat-, and Coralie.


One of the bays in Wellington, during my round trip with Wendy.


One of the many Islands in the many bays of Wellington.


Me and a view over Wellington in the Botanical Gardens.


The Botanical Gardens.


Emily and Roseanne, the daughters (twins) of Paul and Wendy at a festival they went to.


Paul and Wendy at the forest park straight across their house in Wilton, one of the suburbs.

After that I went to the South Island. More about that later...

Wanganui and Christmas in Masterton [December 23 - 26]

Did you know that when you click one of the pictures, they enlarge to their original size?
And did you know that if you click the link [Older Posts], at the bottom of this page, it will show you my older blogs?
If you did not know you do know now. :)

On Sunday December 23 I traveled from New Plymouth to Wanganui, which is written without a H, in contradiction to the Whanganui river and the Whanganui National Park. It has something to do with the accent some believe and others have other explanations.


The Whanganui River in Wanganui.


The Whanganui National Park near Wanganui.


Me on the tower I climbed overlooking the valley and river.


The steam boat that still crosses the river every day.


A church in Wanganui.


A statue in the central park in Palmerston North.






Me wearing Kevin's (Renee's father) Christmas present in Renee's room.


Christmas decorations in Masterton.