We had a full day excursion exploring the Bay of Islands and its turquoise water. This subtropical region is known for its great beaches and history and with over 144 islands to explore, it is really a great option to get out and view the best of them. Through Flying Kiwi, we booked a tour that sail us out to the Bay of Island and includes a fun session swimming with the dolphins.
We started our journey from Paihia Harbour together with several others from Flying Kiwi group. We were quick to get along with one another and made new friendship through this journey.
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| Cruising route |
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| perfect weather out to the sea |
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| beautiful day |
It was a super sunny day and I think no amount of sunscreen would be enough to prevent sun-burn. As soon as we started sailing, the cooling breeze embraced us. While cruising, the captain provide us with insightful information about the sea creatures, rock formations and even the sea-birds that lived within the area. Soon, we reached a calmer bay near a beach where the ship docked to allow us to interact with the dolphins. As I've signed up for the "swim-with-the-dolphins" activity, I was feeling extremely excited when people shouted "dolphins in sight!"
This was my first experience jumping into the ocean and swimming without any life jacket. The first splash into the ocean, I shivered...damn the water was simply too cold. Furthermore, the water was not exactly turquoise and hence it's kinda dark and hard for me to spot the dolphins. Nevertheless, I had to keep swimming in order to catch up with these wild dolphins. It was really tiring and hence a good stamina is definitely required should you sign up for this activity.
Although I came quite close to the dolphins on a few occasion, I was not able to touch it. These dolphins are protected wildlife in NZ and hence extra care must be exercised so as to not hurt them. Anyway, these dolphins were huge and adorable. They simply love playing with us, humans.
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| That's me trying to catch some shots of these dolphins |
We then visited the famous "Hole in the rock" at Cape Brett. It was really a phenomenal sight. Sprouting proudly out of the Pacific Ocean off the wild end of the Bay of Islands' Cape Brett is Motukokako (Piercy Island) as it was named by James Cook. This is a island dominated by its sheer cliffs that rise 148m out of the sea. It's likely Motukokako would've been considered just another big rock in the ocean had that same ocean not carved out a spectacular 16m high hole at its South-western end.
Check out the pictures below and you will definitely want to make a trip there.
We next headed towards another beautiful place, Urupukapuka Island. This island offers a paranormal view of Bay of Island and leaves a lasting impression in my mind till this day. I would love to revisit this island again. It was a paradise island.
Some facts of the island:
Urupukapuka’s diversity of archaeological sites and their good state of preservation makes it one of New Zealand’s most significant archaeological islands. There are at least eight pa on headlands, numerous surface features such as garden sites and storage pits. These are all easily accessible from the shore on an interpreted walk.
It was an important hub with satellite communities on Waewaetorea and Okahu. The island was a gateway for arrivals by sea from the south. Its many sandy beaches with easy access to headlands and extensive land for gardening and the number of sites suggest that Urupukapuka was densely populated by Maori and was likely to have provided them an excellent living.
The above island was our last stop as we slowly cruise back to Paihia harbour. Along the way, we saw more rock landscapes, dolphins and a small shark, as well as many sea birds.
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| My favorite drink in NZ |
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