beautiful weekend

Saturday morning we left Auckland on a bus trip a few hours north, to an area called the Bay of Islands (the transportation was part of a package deal from our hostel, so why not use it). Every time I looked around up there, it felt like I was looking at a scene set up for a postcard - too nice to be real. The weather was perfect, the water was calm and dark blue, with a hint of turquoise, and the bay was filled with sailboats and rock formations pushing up out of the water, topped with trees.
Saturday we arrived in Paihia and right away went on a guided sea kyack trip. Saturday night we spent in the hostel bar, along with a few travelers we met on the kyack excursion, watching the All Blacks defeat Australia's rugby team - and by the end, I almost figured out the basic objectives of the game.
Today, we woke up far too early but it was worth it. We took a dolphin tour of the bay - the boat took us, along with 20 other people, out on the water looking for dolphins. We ended up lucky - found a pod of about 10 dolphins in about 20 minutes, and they were active - jumping out of the water, playing next to the boat, the whole bit.
The tour was actually called swimming with dolphins, and we did. Fitted out in wet suits, flippers, a mask and snorkel, getting into the water was an option.
As a kid from a land-locked state, I'd never swam with flippers, a wetsuit, or a mask and snorkel before - much less in the open ocean. The first time in the water, I managed to get a breath full of salt water, and combined with the completely alien experience of breathing in the mask, it felt as though I was struggling for air, and had to depart the water early.
I got another chance, though, and did much better - now a little more used to the whole breathing experience, I could concentrate on being literally inches from the dolphins. I may even have to try that again sometime.

Tonight, we returned to Auckland. I think an early night is in order - tomorrow we're renting a car and trying another alien experience. Driving on the left-hand side of the road.

And, of course, I'm still spending my free time reading the news about New Orleans. I finally got to see some TV footage this weekend - it made the postcard vistas even more unreal.