We had an early start today, as we had to be back in Kaikoura for 8:20, ready for our 8:30 dolphin encounter! When we checked in, we were told of the possibilities that we might not see any dolphins or might not be able to swim with them if they weren't behaving correctly…although both of those were highly unlikely - phew!

We were called through to the changing rooms and were given our gear to try on - wetsuits, jackets, socks, flippers, hoods and snorkels! We looked very fetching! We then had to watch a DVD explaining what would happen, and what to do to attract the dolphins while in the water - including 'singing' through our snorkels! After a short bus ride, we arrived at our boat 'Lissodelphis' and after a 20-minute journey found our first group of dolphins. Unfortunately, the first 2 groups we came across weren't interested, so we couldn't get in.

5 minutes later, we were told to get ready to get in the water, and then the horn blasted, signalling us to gently get in the water (no jumping in or we would scare them off!). The guide shouted 'they're right under you!' and I looked in through my mask and there they were, swimming all around us! Altogether we spent about half an hour in the cold water, at two locations (we had to sit dangling off the back of the boat while we were taken to a second location!) and saw lots of friendly, playful dolphins - the highlight of the trip so far!

After our swim, we got the chance to watch from the boat and take some photos. We saw a 'nursery pod' with some baby dolphins swimming next to their mothers! We also saw some wild giant albatross (they do other trips to see them, so we were really lucky) and watched some dolphins annoying some albatross sat on the water, by swimming underneath them and knocking their legs! The guide pointed out a rare 'black' dusky dolphin (one with no white patches) and she caught a glimpse of her calf who is also 'black' - something she has never seen during the 6 years she's been doing that job. We both felt a bit rough on the journey back, but that couldn't spoil the amazing time we'd had.

Back in town, we started the 2-hour drive to Hanmer Springs, where we will enjoy the thermal pools in a few days. We stopped at a pic nic spot for lunch, and arrived in Hanmer Springs mid-afternoon. After a stop at an internet café, we checked in at the holiday park, discovering their classic video (yes, video) collection in the TV room! We watched The Truman Show before having tea and watching TV - X Factor USA and the Masterchef Australia final - Kate won, yey!