Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

I write with bad news: your faithful correspondant is currently rolling all around the shop like Captain Jack Sparrow having spent the whole day on a sailing boat- I had no trouble gaining sea legs but getting back my land legs is proving a bit more difficult. Result being, I feel like a real drunken sailor without any of the booze... rubbish!
So me and the beautious Katie have come to our last night in the gorgeous bay of islands... the long pause in our blogging came as a result of having nothing to write. The day we arrived brought lovely sunshine but the morning after brought the rain, and wind, and rain, and three-metre high waves, and rain, intermingled with periods of cloud, and just occasionally, sunshine. I braved the stormy seas yesterday to go dolphin watching... it was pretty damn rough but we came across a huge pod of dolphins who came within inches of the boat, jumping and twisting and playing. Because they had babies we couldn't swim with them but it was wonderful just to see them, massive beasts that they are in New Zealand. Today Katie took her own dolphin trip and had similar good luck, and I set sail on the good ship Tucker, a real old-fashioned sailing ship. Of course I was far too over-excited from the start. The sun came up and we landed at a beautiful island, and we all took turns swinging from one of the boat ropes into the sea. Everyone else was graceful as swans... I proceeded to do a series of arse-flops into the water. Not good, expecially as I'd burnt my bum at the beach. But bearing pain is the pirate way, I guess. Anyway, my high spirits were restored by swimming from the beach back to the boat, just like a shipwreaked mariner.
Tomorrow we head south to Cambridge to see the Waitonomo Caves, Mata Mata (Hobbiton), and the gorgeous Kate! Aideau!