Magical day

You never know when it's going to happen - that serendipitous travel experience that you'll remember for the rest of your life. Today was one of those days for me. What was different about today is that I was aware that it was happening in real time. That is to say, as the events unfolded I was conscious that this would be a day to remember, and I let things emerge based on this consciousness.

I woke up still feeling very tired, but knowing that I slept well. It's very quiet here with the exception of nature noises, which somehow add to the peacefulness. Susan had a full breakfast spread waiting for me: cereal, yogurt, bread, strawberries, bananas, cold cuts, and French press coffee. I was running a bit late so she hurriedly drove me to Paihia, where my dolphin cruise began. It was a medium-size boat holding about 30 people. Comfortable. We stopped at Russell (just across the bay) to pick ip a few more people, and headed out to see dolphins.

The main target are bottlenose dolphins, which are much larger than humans and therefore not intimidated by us (versus common dolphins, which are skittish around humans. Within 5 minutes we tracked a very large pod of dolphins. I was prepared to be underwhelmed ("oh look, there's a dorsal fin"), but was delighted to see so many dolphins. Many of them were jumping high out of the water, and they didn't mind our presence at all (that's what the guides told us, at least). There were juvenile dolphins present, so we couldn't swim with them per DOC rules (the juveniles, which need to nurse every 20 minutes, would get distracted and stop nursing, thus risking hypothermia). There are about 400 bottlenose dolphins between the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, and we probably saw around 20 in this pod.

For the rest of the 3.5 hour trip we looked for more dolphins but wee unsuccessful. So, no dolphin swim for us. Still, I had some great conversations with fellow travelers and the crew, so it was very much worth it.

I hopped off the boat at Russell, and had a burger for lunch. Russell normally has 800 residents, but today was one of the busiest days of the year and it was teeming with tourists. It didn't have a carnival atmosphere at all, though. I walked across the peninsula to Long Beach and sat there for 4 hours, alternating between napping, reading, people watching, and swimming. The sun was out and the temperature was pleasant.

I then walked back to Russell, intending to have a beer at a cafe and journal, and stopped at an art exhibition at a small church. One woman, an artist, was inside and we chatted as I looked around. I was struck by some beautiful handmade wood bowls. She said the artist was a 17-year old local kid who would be coming by in a few minutes to clean up his wares, so I stuck around. The kid, Andrew, came with his mom. He looked very similar to my friend Andy Ransford - slim, blonde, soft-spoken. Anyway, we talked for a bit about the bowls and other things. I ended up buying bowls made of swamp kauri and pohutukawa - the two most famous trees native to New Zealand. The bowls are beautiful and I had to stop myself from buying more.

The mom then said I should see a kauri tree in the wild before I leave. How to do this? She thought about it and said I should join the three of them for dinner on the beach, then we'll go see another local art exhibit for a few minutes, then her son will take me to see the trees, then we can stop by her house for tea (this is a condensed version of what happened).

We jumped in the car and Andrew drove me to see the trees - massive things - in a very quiet nature reserve. We then drove to their house, which has an amazing view of a cove... Really classy house. After my cup of tea, andrew showed me the tools he uses to create the bowls, then drove me to the car ferry to Opua, where Susan picked me up. In the moments waiting for Susan, I couldn't help but let out a smile. The past few hours had been special. I knew it. The people I met invited me to eat with them, to their home, and to come stay with them anytime. They made me feel like family, which at this point in the trip, is exactly what I needed and wanted. I kept smiling and rhetorically asking myself "what IS this???"

Susan brought me back, and for an hour I chatted with the new house guests (a 50-ish couple from Australia), Susan, and Ladislav over a glass of wine.

This day made my trip. Before yesterday I was regretting (a bit) not having more interaction with kiwis. Today - I feel satisfied. I've had the travel experience I love most - connecting with people in a unique way. In an authentic way.

Photos are of:
- the mom (Katrina), me, the artist, Andrew (the artist). We had chicken and chips.
- Russell harbor at sunset
- Me and the kauri tree
- view from their house
- the car ferry to Opua (which I took on foot - costs one dollar)