THURSDAY, FEB. 19: TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND

1. The Seaside town of Tauranga from the Crystal Serenity
2. & 3. We headed out to sea with “Butler’s Swim with Dolphins”. What an amazing adventure! After sailing for 2 hours in the beautiful Bay of Plenty we found a pod of about 100 dolphins.
4 & 5. To “swim with dolphins” you put on a mask and snorkel, climb down the back of the boat to a 2 foot ledge, crouch in a waiting position and when the Captain yells, “All right, put them in” – you slide down into the water holding on to a bar with both hands and looking underwater – as the boat continues to move slowly forward. That’s me on the right.
6. Oops – that’s me pulling myself back to the boat (which was still moving, I might add!) after my hands slipped off the bar!
7. Yay! Safe back onboard!
8. Guess this was my day!
9 & 10. The Mauao Mountain is sacred to Maori people and thus it is undeveloped. It juts out into the bay and there is a wonderful walking path around the whole perimeter (about 3 miles).