After Dunedin, we headed back to Christchurch to stay two nights. Our full day before returning was at Kaikoura, and for me, it was the highlight of many spectacular adventures. I had been so apprehensive of the cold water of the Pacific, given the cold summer, as we booked a swim with wild dolphins in the Pacific. But the heavy 5 ml wetsuit (with an additional 5 ml jacket) and hood kept us toasty in the 16 degree water. The day was a gorgeous sunny one, and our team on the boat told us we had a stellar trip, as we literally saw hundreds of dolphins. We got in three swims. We were told to make noise to attract the dolphins; thus, the weird sounds on the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EugvLBJQZnE
The next day, we flew back and stayed a night with my mentor at the Ministry of Business, Judi Altinkaya. She is simply the best. She has collected us at the airport, stashed our luggage, fed us, transported us, brought us to stores outside the city for better priced items, etc, etc. Today (1 Feb), she took us to a Greek Festival before transporting us to a suburb for some discount stores.
We moved in on Sunday, 26 January. Over the past week, I have spent many hours polishing the beautiful old wood in this 100 year old house apartment, cleaning windows, and cleaning up the garden and grounds. I never have time for this kind of work at home - so stretched thin form work. I have fully enjoyed it, and it is so satisfying to see the changes based on my work. Too bad I didn't take "before" pictures, as the place was in major need of TLC. Last night we had a small dinner party with the other two Axford fellows and a spouse. It was fun to have people over.
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