Off the Court: Bay of Islands & Orcas

While in Auckland, I took a day trip to the Bay of Islands.  It was about a 3-4 hour drive by bus and when we arrived, I was scheduled for a boat tour of the area....unfortunately the weather was terrible.  45 mph winds and rain did not allow for the grand view of the area and everyone was given the option to reschedule, but the tour was not cancelled.  This was my only opportunity to be here, so I stuck with it even though the boat ride was extremely rough and all I saw was water crashing over the boat.  Many passengers were sea sick and it looked to be a rather annoying day. 

However, orcas were spotted out the window about an hour into our trip, close to shore of one of the islands.  I did not care at all if I was soaking wet and ran outside to see them.  This made the entire frightening ride well worth it.  There was an entire family swimming all around the boat and underneath it.

I think orcas (killer whales) are so fascinating and it is so rare and lucky to be able to see them in the wild!  This particular boat captain told me they only see them every 3-4 months.  They wee entertaining us for about 30 minutes and the family consisted of a mom, dad, two 2-year olds, and 2 babies.  It was AMAZING!!  

They looked like they were havin so much fun in the wind and waves.  They were eager to play and show off for us I think, which is pretty unusual for orcas.  Normally they are discreet and secretive, always trying to fool you.  

I will never forget this day!  So glad I didn't chicken out and not go because of the rough seas. 

As usual, I have about 600 pictures of this only, but here are some of my favorites:

Off the Court: Waitomo Glow Worms & Hobbiton Experience

I booked a long day tour (13 hours) to the Waitomo glow worm caves and Hobbiton movie set area through a company called Great Sights.

It did not start off very well at all....People were crying, fighting, and we left 30 minutes late.  This is the first experience I have had on this trip where tour guides were actually rude and so many tourists were rude to them.  I HATE riding on a bus! Always have, always will, but this was my only option for a visit to these sights.

Pictures weren't allowed in the glow worm caves but it was really cool (and a little gross).  They light up and look like stars glowing in the top of the caves and it's very peaceful.  They also secrete a saliva that hangs down about a foot in order to catch insects and things, which was the kind of gross part.  A Maori family runs the visitor center and the tour guide was great.  These creatures are unique to New Zealand and it is definitely worth seeing while you are there. 

Here is the website to get an idea of what it is like since I don't have any pictures:

http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx

Interesting facts I learned are that there are 3 cars for every one person here and there are about 60 active and dormant volcanoes in NZ because it straddles a fault line.  A little scary...

Here are my pictures from Hobbiton, which I think is a MUST SEE in New Zealand.  It is where "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" were filmed.  So, whether you have seen the movies or not (I haven't), go!  It was really cool.   

Off the Court: Depot Restaurant, Auckland

Yesterday I had lunch at this little tapas bar in Auckland called Depot.  I found it through yelp, which gave it 5 stars and since I love tapas, I immediately went over there.

When I arrived, breakfast was just ending and the waitress suggested I wait a few minutes for lunch to start because it was well worth it.  I could not decide what to get!  Everything on the menu sounded amazing and the wait staff was really helpful and friendly in assisting me with my decision.  

I chose little fish sliders and chipotle brisket tortillas.   Everything was mouth watering and they had wine on tap, too!  I'm already planning to go back tonight or tomorrow some can try some of the other items kn the menu.

Auckland Whale and Dolphin Cruise

I did a last minute whale and dolphin cruise from Auckland yesterday since I had the afternoon free.  It was about 4 hours and on a great catamaran with a bar, snacks, lots of outdoor viewing areas, and indoor lounges.  

Here is their website: http://www.exploregroup.co.nz/en/unique-experiences/auckland-whale-and-dolphin-safari/

It took about 2 hours, but we saw a ton of common dolphins, in two separate places.  There were about 20 in the first group and they were just having fun with us by racing the boat, playing in the wake, and jumping around.  The second group we saw was much larger (too many to count) and they were feeding.  There were tons of birds flying around who were diving so deep to try and catch something.  It was fascinating.  In this group, there were several babies following their mothers around and some of the dolphins abandoned their feeding to come around the boat to play.

The crew said that there are multiple species of whales, Orkas, great whites, and numerous other sharks in the area as well since the environment is so great for them here.  

On the cruise back, we saw great views of the city skyline and surrounding islands.  The boats in the harbor here are incredible too; they are enormous and so perfectly polished. 

Of course, they can't guarantee that you see anything, but offer a voucher to come back for free as many times as you need to until you see BOTH whales and dolphins.  I got one because we only saw dolphins, so if I ever have the opportunity, I can go again!  Great day ;)

It was so windy!

Check out the diving bird.

Mom and baby.

Racing the boat.

Everywhere I looked, I could see them.

City skyline.

Enormous sail boats.

Auckland Sky City Tower

Today I went to the top of the a Sky City Tower in Auckland, New Zealand.  It is the tallest building in the country and you can go up to 220 meters at highest level.  It also offers a glass elevator on the way up and Sky Jumps from the top (all a little scary for me...).  There were several people jumping, which was thrilling to watch and the views of the city and outer islands were beautiful.

 

Kangaroo Island, Australia

After my trip along the Great Ocean Road, I stopped for 2 nights on Kangaroo Island, which is 2 hours south of Adelaide in South Australia.  It's known for being undisturbed and having great respect for nature and wildlife.   It is sometimes called the Galapagos of Australia and lives up to its name.   I saw kangaroos everywhere; many crossed in front of my car and they actually look different than the ones on the mainland because of adaptation.  There are also koalas, echidnas, and other local species that are very rare on the mainland.  Here, you can spot them easily.    

You have to take a ferry to Kangaroo Island and the fee for a round trip

ticket is quite hefty ($280 for 1 person in 1 car).  Most of the roads are gravel or dirt and only 4600 people live on this large island.  Sheep roam farm land and they make local honey.  The main town of Penneshaw is small and quaint, with 4 restaurants, a gas station, and a small

Grocery store.  There is a small penguin colony here too!  The locals were so friendly and I loved being able to walk around the area. 

Two days is barely enough to see everything; the island is over 100km one way and there are countless coves, bays, beaches, and nature parks to stop at.  One of my favorite things was Seal Bay, where you can walk all the way down to the beach to view the seals resting.  The pups had just been born and were nursing off their mothers, following them around, and being super playful with each other.  It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen.  

Vivonne Bay was beautiful and pristine, so I spent some time at that beach.  Only one other person was in sight and it was so peaceful.

I also did a short Ocean Safari boat ride to view marine life and as soon as we pulled out of the cove, we ran into a small pod of about 15 dolphins that were so curious of the boat - jumping to look at us, racing the boat, and playing in the wake.  A few minutes after that, we ran into a group of female and baby dolphins, who were resting close to shore and circled our boat for a while.  While viewing some of the island's coast line, we spotted some fur seals sitting on the rocks.  

Overall, this was an amazing experience and I really appreciated the respect for nature here and loved seeing so many of these animals in their natural environments. 

Vivonne Bay

A small beach.

Old school.

An echidna, very rare.

Cove on the marine adventure, beautiful coastline.

Fur Seal

Christmas Coce

Seal pup and it's mother

Male seal causing trouble 

Seal pup nursing off its mother 

These 2 pups were ADORABLE, they followed each other everywhere and were so playful and cuddly with each other.

Ocean Safari Boat

Bottle nose Dolphins