Hello readers,
In my last post I wrote about a nice drive to Picton and at the end I explained that it became a "hidden gem". Well now hopefully you'll see why...
The bay
Picton Itself is just a small town nessled in a bay. It didn't look much driving in but once you're there, the perspective is very different! On a nice sunny day it's a really nice place to be.
The water is calm and flat and reflects a crystal blue colour in the sun. The grass is cut so fine it's almost like a golf green.
The whole colour scheme reminds me of "The Truman Show" kind of like that small town Feilding
back on the northen island of NewZealand. (New Zealands "nicest" town)
You would think a secluded bay like this would only support small boats but as you can see, there's a ferry terminal here so I guess you can use it to travel from one Island to the other.
The view from the beach overlooking the hills and probably inactive volcanoes either side is also something to take in.
The whole place just felt weird, yet I felt so at home there.
I mean what the hell is this?
Seriously what bird is that? It's big, about the size of a goose. That red skin isn't a desease or anything. It's just like that.
I even tried searching "odd bird in Picton" on google and the best thing that came up was a Reddit post of someone asking the same question...how strange.
Anyway, if you look to the right of one of the pictures above, you can see where all the smaller boats are docked up. There's a bridge you can take to go and take a closer look which I did but then I saw something move...a big shaddow.
Can you see it?
I'm pretty sure it's a stingray! A big one! The biggest I've seen in fact. Must of been about a meter wide. Hopefully the reflecrion of the trailer will give you some idea.
As much as walking around soaking in the views and sun was nice, tye true highlight was the trip I booked the night I got there.
Swimming with dolphins...sort of
That's right, Picton is one of places to go out and swim with the dolpins. But this trip in particular had something to boast about. Not only were there Bottle Nosed Dolphins but also the very rare Hectors Dolphins. These are the smallest dolphin in the world and apparently only seen in or around New zealand.
They kind of look like a mini "killer whale" or "Orca"
In fact during the tour I learnt that Orcas are actually members of the dolphin family as opposed to whales. In a way it makes sense. They're highly intelligent, hunt in packs and agile enough to do tricks...like a dolphin.
So, off I went!
View from the captains hub.
(Take note of the colour of the water, you'll see why in a minute)
As you can see, the water was very flat so for someone like me that gets motion sickness it was a nice smooth ride.
It's always good to cruise at the front.
I don't know how or why, but in the distance you can see very low clouds or at least some sort of fog which passed.
Very odd considering that it was a clear, sunny day.
Then we spotted one
This is a Hector's dolphin
Since they're so rare and not as social as the bottlenose, we were not allowed to get in the water with them. Bottlenose dolphins only.
Before I continue I must stress that I barely ever edit the photos I take.
I understand that a skilled photographer or editor can make a place look amazing but what's the point? It just means you'll be dissapointed when you see it for real.
These photos are not edited in any way. I can't explain how the water colour changed so dramatically, it just did.
This is one of my favourite photo's. Not only is the colour of the water awasome but if you zoom in you can clearly see the lead dolphin.
Timing is everything
In this area, there was a pack of about 5 dolphins investigating the boat.
Hopefully if these links work you can see them in action.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LfgeYXoLQPfNZtxB6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vvV5qgYwM86Yyidb7
I really wasn't joking about the water colour.
This area really made me question reality. Not far behind the boat the water was a dark blue like back in Picton. It was litarally this small cove that had this turquoise glow to it.
On the way back to Picton we were all still bone dry, there were no Bottlenose Dolphins that day which meant we didn't get to swim but the captain did spot something else in the water.
I can't quite remember if it was a seal or sea lion but either way he gave the all clear to get in so me and a few others jumped in and swam over.
To be honest, I didn't see much. The water at this point was quite murky and the animal was toying with us contantly circling behind.
So, by the end of the day I'd "swam" with a seal/sea lion at least. I was greatful to see the rare Hectors dolphins but at the same time gutted that I couldn't swim with them.
Swimming with dolphins was a life long dream and I got so close.
I've seen pictures of people in the water with them at places like sea world and although admittedly that would be a cool experience, I'd rather be with them in the wild.
Still, how could I stay dissapointed after such a unique experience. It was trully awasome and I won't be forgetting it any time soon.