Friday, 17 February 2023

Dolphins in Queen Charlotte Sound

We headed to Picton this morning to go on a dolphin watching trip. It was really just an excuse to go on a boat trip on a beautiful sunny day. Picton looked very pretty in the sunshine as we set off along Queen Charlotte Sound, which has lots of inlets surrounded by tree-clad hills.  The water was the most beautiful blue-green and very calm. And we did indeed meet a pod of rare Hector dolphins, which are very small. They came close to the boat so we got a good look. The only drawback to an otherwise delightful day was that I have developed a sudden and violent cold - my nose is running and my cough is deep and wheezy. I just hope that it goes away as quickly as it has arrived. When I got back to our hotel after the boat trip I fell into bed and slept for three solid hours while James walked up to the lookout at Mount Vernon, a hill which has good views over Blenheim. The New Zealand Hills look quite verdant and Scottish at first sight, but on closer inspection they have sharper edges; James says that this is because they are newer therefore less eroded by weather. When he got back we went downstairs to Happy Hour at the hotel pool, I had a swim and we had cocktails and were entertained by Chris Kea, who was a great wee singer and guitarist. It became quite busy and jolly round the pool as more people arrived. Later we had our final dinner at this pleasant little hotel, we have very much enjoyed our time here but are look forward to seeing Jamie and Kerry tomorrow. 

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