Co-op News
From "Maple Street Co-op News", April/May 2008

"Date With A Dolphin Pod"
By Mary Meadows

I'm departing from my usual Cultivating News article this issue to share with you my recent experience of swimming with dolphins in Tauranga, New Zealand, with ex-Co-op Director, Leigh Findlay, and my sister. We booked a date for Saturday 8 March (the season runs from October to March), and decided to do some touring on the Friday.

Our plan was to visit Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, a 3400-hectare forest, which has been set up to protect native species. They have developed two enclosures on either side of the mountain, have eradicated pests from the enclosures, constructed tracks, begun restoration planting and have started to re-introduce lost species.

We picked up a brochure from Tirau ('ti' means cabbage trees, 'rau' means many), however our maps were not detailed enough to find the southern enclosure at Pukeatua, and we were a long way from the northern enclosure at Cambridge.

Instead, we paid a visit to the Hidden Valley, which can be accessed off the main road from Taupo to Tokoroa, or the other main highway between Taupo and Rotorua. This is a thermal area with mud pools, hot springs and terraces of many muted colours created by the mineral waters that are flowing out of the earth. We were ferried by boat across the Waikato River to the thermal region; the boat trip is quite quick and you ring a bell on the other side when you are ready to return. The walkways are well constructed, and to cover the area takes two to three hours. Some of the pathways are quite steep, and you can climb down into a cave and make a wish in the warm water at its base.

The next morning we climbed aboard a large blue sailing boat and met Sasha and Neil, the crew for the dolphin trip. The skipper, Butler, arrived later, a larger than life character with very strong views. We had the choice to wear wetsuits, however Sasha felt we'd be warm enough in the water without them. Sasha gave our group of 22 participants a safety talk, pointed out where equipment was kept, and organised us into groups of five for the swim.

It took us about four hours to reach the pod of dolphins, and we were informed that if there were a number of dolphins with calves, we would not be entering the water. On the way, we passed flying fish, penguins, and a variety of sea birds. Sasha explained that when we approached the dolphins, we needed to hum to them, and they would respond.

Initially, about 10-20 dolphins came to play around the boat. We were all issued with snorkels, and we each climbed down the back of the boat and held onto a metal bar at the edge of the landing platform as the boat followed the dolphins. If we lost our grip, we could grab onto a 30-metre rope attached to a buoy and pull ourselves back, as the boat was moving faster than we could swim. It must be a strange sight for the dolphins, a large moving boat with five bodies hanging off the back humming to them!

As we trailed after the dolphins, we were able to watch them diving and romping, tossing bits of seaweed around and 'talking'. They moved extremely quickly, and came up quite close, then dove away. Each group was in the water for 10 to 15 minutes. The dolphins were quite happy to stay with us, to the extent that some of us had three turns in the water communicating with them. After my swim, I took as many photos of the dolphins as possible, which was a bit tricky as they are very speedy. They continued to play around the front of the boat, later joined by more dolphins. One dolphin with a calf obviously felt comfortable enough to come and check us out. Sasha informed us that this variety of dolphin is called the Common Grey dolphin, and a pod can average 50-80 in number.

On the trip back, Butler regaled us with some of his many exploits, one being his time at Murora Atoll protesting against the French nuclear tests. He found himself close to French territorial waters and about to be fired upon by the French, when a New Zealand frigate called him to come in behind. I suspected the boat we were on was the very one involved in this incident. He was quite passionate about the environment and protection of all creatures, so we chose well when booking our trip, which I highly recommend to anyone wishing to experience the joy of swimming with dolphins.

For more information visit www.swimmingwithdolphins.com
[From "Maple Street Co-op News", April/May 2008; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au, website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]