Dolphin Magic in The Bay of Islands

Bonjour, You. So what was Auckland like, you ask? Well, I wasn't there long enough to really take it all in. But the most memorable part of my three-day stint was my trip to The Bay Of Islands, to Paihia, a few hours north. I have never seen wild dolphins, and here I had an unprecedented opportunity. We were only a few minutes out on our way to the Cape Brett Lighthouse, when we saw the playful dolphins. Bottlenose and common dolphins raced alongside and showed off their aerobic flips! Too hard to photograph, I have a million pictures of splashy water. No wonder dolphins enchant people, they have a magical sleek quality about them that we rarely encounter in our everyday lives. Further out we visited beautiful Motukokako Island and the famous Hole in the Rock. I held my breath as we tried to navigate our way through the hole and into spectacular Grand Cathedral Cave, but the swell was too high. We abandoned this plan to my great relief! With your fear of small spaces, You would have died. As we cruised back to Paihia we pass several remote islands, fringed with golden sand beaches and decorated with red-flowering pohutukawa trees. I loved seeing the low, long clouds. No wonder they call this place Aotearoa – Land of The Long White Cloud.