Bay of Islands

November 20,  at 1:45 p.m.

Wow, did we have a great time.  We tendered to the local port and then boarded a catamaran (again) for a trip around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

On the way out to one of their most memorable landmarks, the hole in the island, we had an escort of bottlenose dolphins.  A real treat.   They played in our wake and came right up to the side of the boat.  We could almost reach out and touch them. They played around us for almost an hour.

We continued on to the hole and the captain drove our boat through it to the other side.  We only had 8 feet of clearance on each side, so he had to be a little careful.  Luckily the waves weren't too bad.  It did rain most of the day and we all got soaked, but it was well worth it.

Yes,  dolphins!!