Bay of Island Tour Friday-January 24, 201

FRIDAY – JANUARY 24, 2014

BOTTOM LINE:

Move to Base Pipi Patch Hostel (put luggage into locked storage shed)

Cream Tour of Bay of Islands

BACK STORY:

With a hopeful forecast we opened our drapes and found a clear and sunny morning!  We had booked an all day tour of the Bay of Islands with the promise of swimming with the dolphins.

After having a quick breakfast and packing lunch to go, we headed down to the Paihia Wharf for a 9:30am boat departure.  Our tour was called “The Cream” and followed the route of the boats that used to delivery “cream” to the islands in the bay.

Paihia Beach from wharf

 

The Cream Tour boat

The first exciting stop was to find a large pod of dolphins to swim with.  The government has very strict restrictions to boats and humans bothering dolphins in the wild.  Each boat has a scheduled time to be in a specific area where a pod might be.  If there are any babies in the pod all “swimming” by humans is forbidden.

Bottlenose Dolphin jumping

  

Bottlenose dolphins playing in the wild

The captain of the boat didn’t need to search very hard before we were among a huge pod of Bottlenose Dolphins.  I find dohlphins so interesting.  Besides being very intelligent they have the ability to chose and change their sex during their life.  They also can bring about fertility or not during their life. They do not mate with the same dolphin for life.  The mother stays with the baby and the males tend to protect them.  

The dolphins on our tour were so much fun to watch and it was almost like they knew that they had an audience.  They were jumping up in the air splashing, rearing up and walking on their tail fin, rolling, calling to one another etc.  It was determined that there were babies among the pod, so their “show” would have to suffice and it did.  I couldn’t help taking pictures out of amazement…definitely a highlight of our trip to the Northland!!!

At play

 

free in the wild

Next we were to make a birthday gift “drop” at a privately owned island.  Years ago twenty people had the privilege of buying an island.  Because the island is across a small strait from the mainland a cable was extended to supply electricity.  The island has a farm on it which homeowners all share.  Most of the homes are for holiday use, although some live full time on the island.

 

Privately owned island

 

life on your own island!

Around the back side of the island was a spire of rock with some birds perched on top.  As we quietly approached the captain explained that they were decoy “Gannet” birds that conservationists were trying to get to nest there.  They had two couples inhabit the area this year so they are hopeful.

  

Gannet decoys

 

Native Gannet birds

The Gannet bird mates for life and is an incredible swimmer and diver for fish. They appear to fall out of the sky during their dive.  The diving is good for food, but the pressure of each dive eventually causes them to go blind.  Without sight, they starve and die.

A volcanic rock formation in the bay called the Black Rocks was our next stop.  The texture resulting from the cooling of the lava in the salt water was very interesting and worth a look.

 

 

Black Rocks

Black Rock formations

Marsden Cross and Assassination Cove were the next two stops.  All of the  places we stopped were filled with some historical fact or story usually involving European explorers and indigenous Maori people…some good and some not so good. Assassination Cove speaks for itself.

A swimming and lunch break were spent on the island of Motourua at a beautiful beach.  Bruce was brave and did some snorkeling in the 70+ degree water.  I watched from the beach!  I also had a view of the colorful spinnakers of the sailing regatta going on in the bay. 

Regatta in Bay of Islands

 

Beach at Motorua Island

Bruce trying the water

With many other stops and stories the captain finished off the ride with a visit to the famous Motukokako or Hole in the Rock Island.  The island sits at the mouth of the bay and the Pacific Ocean.  The constant tidal and weather changes beating water against the rocks have worn tunnels or holes in the island.  The one visible to us is large enough that our captain took the boat through it!  A short lighthouse alerts travelers of the Hole in the Rocks presence at the opening of the bay.

Light House

Hole in the Rock formation

Hole in the Rock

 

The day could not have been more perfect.  The weather, stunning views and information shared enhanced the time spent on board and gave us a greater appreciation for the Northlands of New Zealand.