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One angle of our journey to NZ was a plunge into nature and wildlife. The mountains are very steep and craggy, and that’s coming from a Rocky Mountain baby, so while we admire them and did get in a couple of hikes, mostly our immersion was in the sea. The ocean, which is magical and mysterious to me since I’ve never lived around it. We saw zillions of seals along the highways, and birds, and even Royal Albatrosses coming in for a landing on a very windy day.
In Kaikoura, we were slated on a whale watching tour. I vaguely looked forward to it–I’d never seen one, after all, and it seemed worth doing. The company is a good one, run by local Maoris who realized there was money in tourism and the great trench that runs just beyond the shallow waters. Whales love it, which means that Kaikoura was once a major whaling center. Whale tourism, I think we can all agree, is much better.
We saw one, a sperm whale who came up for a drink of air and dutifully hung out on top of the water for awhile, blowing through his spout. It was cool, but honestly not one of my top ten moments in nature. I took it in, and I can see him there, all shiny gray massiveness, in memory, but it was not one of my top ten Nature moments, and maybe I sort of had expected to feel more awe. As I pondered this on the way back to shore, wondering what was going on in my head, the tour guides said, “Oh, folks, we have a treat for you today.” Curiously, I looked over my shoulder–
And the water was alive with something splashing. Lots of somethings, spread over a huge area. They cut the engines and we drifted into the middle of the somethings, and they turned out to be dolphins. Hundreds of them, dancing, swimming, practically singing in their joy. They leapt into the air, splashed back down; gracefully arced out of the water, and cleanly slid back in. There were babies and mamas swimming in synch and everything in between. I hung on the side of the boat, astonished and awed and full of joy–and realized that there were tears streaming down my face, pouring. I couldn’t stop it, and just let them go, not caring if I looked like a crazy lady.
We hung in the midst of them, just drifting, and they showed off, coming over to the boat, going under and around and into the air as if to communicate with us, for a long time. Finally, we drifted to the edge of the pod and the captain fired up the boat and we headed back. A trio came with us, as if racing the boat, and when they couldn’t keep up, jumped into the air in exuberant spirals, bidding us farewell.
As long as I live, I will never forget it. It was the purest expression of joy I’ve ever witnessed.
Have you ever had a moment in nature that took your breath away? Have you seen dolphins?
54 Comments on “The Magic of Nature”
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I have seen dolphins but they didn’t do anything that spectacular.
My greatest nature moment was watching whales in both Alaska and Mexico jump straight up from the water and then crash back down. I guess they do that to get barnacles off but it’s so amazing to watch. I loved it.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 10:35 am.
Wow, Lori, that must have made a MASSIVE splash! This whale didn’t do anything like that.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:40 am.
We took a whale watching cruise in Hawaii and saw a mother and her calf. They stayed with us for a long while and the beauty of the pair had us all in awe. There were dolphins as well. As you said, their joy is contagious.
On our inside passage cruise to Alaska we saw everything you would imagine in Alaska; whales, dolphin,moose, bear, puffins. The bald eagles were so prevalent they were like crows.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 10:55 am.
That Alaska cruise sounds stellar, Kez. CR wants to take that cruise, a lot.
I’ve seen a moose at a distance, but they are VERY BIG AND SCARY! My d-i-l is from the wilds of Alaska (and I do mean the back of beyond) and she grew up with all those creatures. She likes deep sea fishing and knows how to prepare an elk for the freezer.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:47 am.
While I haven’t seen dolphins I have seen a few moments of nature that have taken my breath away. Two years ago we had floods. We had been having rain for a few weeks with the occasional dry day to mess with our heads and just one day in January 2011 a couple of the creeks had a hell of a lot of water come pouring down them, cars were washed away, shops were inundated, bridges with train tracks were not safe to drive under at all. Then all that water went down the escarpment. People have likened it to an inland tsunami, the force was that destructive and it ruined so many lives. Then there was this year. Last week we had a cyclone and while it wasn’t a bad one (only a category 1), the resulting wind and rain that impacted the Queensland coast has bought back those memories of ’11. Gamer Dude’s ex and still very good friend lives in a town called Laidley, she was evacuated from her house on Monday because of the flood water as it was pretty much right underneath her floorboards of the high set Queenslander that she, a man whom she considers to be a grandfather type figure and a guy who they were attempting to rehabilitate to become an actual human being that will treat women with respect instead of being a human pig (and that’s being nice and censoring what is actually said about him because he is *that* bad) were living in. Admittedly this lot of floods wasn’t as bad as ’11 which in turn wasn’t as bad as the ’76 floods but it was enough to cause this friend and those who were affected by it, PTSD. We have told her that if she isn’t able to be rehomed right away, then she would be able to stay with Gamer Dude, Sci Fi Guy and I for a couple of months or until she is given a place.
Here are some images of the floods back in ’11
http://www.thechronicle.com.au/photos/toowoomba-flooding-101/5432/#/0
Then here are some images of the flood this year
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-30/astronaut-tweets-flood-pics-from-space/4490334
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/01/28/15/15/queensland-floods-2013
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:01 am.
I have been seeing the news about those floods, Kelly. I didn’t realize you were in the area. Water can be one of nature’s most incredible forces, that’s for sure.
Glad you are safe!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:45 am.
Well, I’m not in the immediate area of this year’s floods, Laidley is about a 40 minute drive from where I am and we had some localized flooding in the low lying areas of town. Toowoomba, (where I live) was built were two swamps met and so we can experience very minor flooding in some areas of town. Thankfully I live in a relatively high set area of town and the only problem with water that we had was some standing water in the back yard but that went away after a few hours when the remains of ex tropical cyclone Oswald moved on further south. I am really just hoping that we don’t have another cyclone like Yasi hit this year after people have recovered more from this flood as Yasi made a mess of the towns on the coastline and the price of bananas went sky high.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:13 pm.
Even a backyard full of water doesn’t sound like much fun. May the rest of the cyclone season go easy on you.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:25 pm.
I’ve lived on one coast or another my whole life so the sea and all its glories are familiar to me. But not taken for granted, I promise.
I’ve seen dolphins do what dolphins do. They’re pretty aggressive as animals go. I never feel safe when I think a dolphin could be in the water next to me. Ditto sharks.
My “fun with ocean animals” story is this: When I was 8, I was swimming way out on Malibu beach. Body surfing was my thing and there was no wave too big or no distance from shore too great. Well, they do this helicopter flyover to warn swimmers of sharks in the water. I was under water, doing my Little Mermaid thing when the helicopter went over and told everyone to GET OUT. I come up, wipe the hair out of my eyes and everyone is clearing out. Fast. I swim for shore and suddenly this seal pops up right in front of me, not 3 feet away. I stared at it. It stared at me. Two brown-eyed swimmers, studying each other.
In case you didn’t know, where there are seals, there are sharks. I swam faster. I swam as calmly as I could. I made it to shore. But for a good month, I was afraid to open my eyes under water.
There’s a whole other world down there, and 90% of it could kill me.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:40 am.
Pretty amazing story, Claudia, and I did not know that where there are seals there are sharks, which is interesting information.
Not that I will be actually swimming in the open sea anytime soon, thanks. I loved kayaking, and I’d swim if I tipped over, but I am not crazy about stuff swimming with me. You are so brave!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:43 am.
Sharks and seals go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:18 pm.
All nature takes my breath away. I’ve been whale watching during an Alaskan cruise, We saw humpbacks and baby leaping out of the water. Pods of Ocra leaping out of the water, seals sitting on rocks, and eagles in trees. I’ve seen grizzly and black bears in Yellowstone. Also coyotes and their babies, moose, buffalo, elk. All are magnificiat creatures. I’ve been to Rocky Mountain National Park, Glacier, Grand Tetons. All are beautiful and breath taking.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:02 pm.
I agree with you completely–all of nature is an astonishment. Not always kind, not always easy, but really spectacular. I’d love to see the Tetons! Funny that I’ve been halfway around the world but haven’t driven a few hundred miles north.
Coyote babies!!! that would be a sight to see!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:27 pm.
Wow, Barbara, what an amazing experience! I can’t even imagine what it was like to be so close to such large, wild animals. So beautiful, too. Wow.
I once kayaked into a little lagoon where some Manatees were sunning. They were amazingly friendly, and were joined by some dolphins. It was so cool to float there beside them, enjoying the day.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:06 pm.
That sounds magical. I keep wondering what the actual definition of a lagoon is and now have to go look it up.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:28 pm.
There was a time when I came home from work and found a hummingbird in despair on the feeder. The little guy was hanging upside down from a rung with one foot. I’ve always admired the speed and tenacity of those little birds so my heart starting breaking just by seeing this. I stepped out onto the deck and gently grabbed the bird. I sat with him in my hand for a few minutes, lightly stroking his head and back. Slowly he started blinking more, and moving his head. My heartbreak turned to happiness when he finally flew out of my hands to a nearby tree. I do not know if he had hit a window and was stunned, or what happened. I was just happy he flew off.
I love nature and probably have a few more stories to go with that one. Dolphins? I recently had my first dolphin sighting at Tybee beach, just outside Savannah. It was a cool, cloudy day. There wasn’t many people at the beach. I took my shoes off and walked along the edge of the water for a while. One time I glanced out and saw two dolphins dancing around a woman on a paddle board. They seemed so gentle and happy. Like she went out there just to be with them. Somehow I felt an inner peace watching them.
Your experience sounds wonderful, Barbara. Thanks for sharing.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:09 pm.
Oh, that’s a beautiful story, Kelly! I had tears in my eyes when he started waking up. Thanks for that.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:28 pm.
I see dolphins all the time down at the Jersey shore. They go back and forth up and down the shoreline and we watch them from the beach. Sometimes the lifeguards will be out there with them when they do their drills on the surf boards. I so want to swim with the dolphins – maybe someday.
One of my nature moments came last summer while in DC. We were waiting to catch a boat for a cruise on the Potomac and there were some nesting osprey right next to the dock. I had never been so close to a wild bird of prey. I happened to get a picture just as one was returning to the nest. You can see it here:
http://www.pixpanache.com/2012/08/recently-i-traveled-to-washington-dc-to.html
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:21 pm.
Oh my goodness, that is a fantastic photo! I’d frame that one. What a great angle and the light and his wings extended…..wow.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:36 pm.
My husband, Rich, and I got married on October 21, 2007. We decided to go on a mini honeymoon to Spring Lake, NJ. One night, we took a walk on the boardwalk, and the moon was full and bright. It shone on the water in such a way that it looked like there was a brilliant path that you could walk on. It was just so spectacular and breathtaking, we’ve never seen anything like it, words can’t really describe how beautiful it was. The fact that we saw it together on our honeymoon made it even more special. We still talk about it!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:29 pm.
What a perfect gift for your honeymoon, a special blessing from the universe. I’d still be talking about it, too.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:36 pm.
Barbara, this is a beautiful sharing. Thank you. My strongest nature memory has to be when I was pushing my 2 little kids (years ago!) in a double baby jogger (stroller that kept the crazies at bay) on Whidbey Island, in Washington State. What I thought was a seagull passed over us, his shadow long and his flight low. I barely paid attention to him–until a HUGE shadowed engulfed us, shaped like a huge airplane–but it was a bald eagle, only 4 or 5 feet overhead. It was a bald eagle Momma or Poppa, out teaching their offspring to fly. I’ll never forget it. I had my babies in the stroller, teaching them to enjoy nature, and the eagle was doing much of the same.
Of course, I get tears watching the cardinals at the feeder when it’s snowing, too.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:31 pm.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets teary-eyed over nature moments.
I would say your children have the blessing of the eagle–which is pretty amazing. One of my sons was sprayed by a tiger at the zoo and laughed his head off–I’ve always thought it was his totem. He’s a pretty fierce character.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:38 pm.
When we were stationed in Tampa we loved going to the beach and dolphins frequently swam by much to this Nebraska farm girl’s delight. I would have loved your experience in the boat and would have cried too.
I’ve had many awe moments growing up on a farm, especially the birth of calves. However, my favorite also took place in Tampa. The Manatees winter there and you can see a herd of them up close. I don’t have the words to describe seeing them, but it was so amazing. Definitely not something you would see on the farm.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:37 pm.
Growing up on a farm would certainly offer a lot of poignant moments with nature. I’d get emotional over calves being born, I’m sure.
It must be amazing to see the Manatees in nature. I’ve only seen them at aquariums.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:40 pm.
I have had a few of those dolphin moments coming back from dive days. It was like they were telling us goodbye and thanks for visiting. It’s a perfect end of a day spent down with the fishes.
I think one of my most overwhelming moments in nature – both in a good and bad way – was a night hike I took in the Amazon. Our guide took us out from our lodge, we were armed with flashlights and headlamps and we had an entirely different view of the jungle that way. At one point, he told us to stop and turn off our lights. We did. Then we listened. The jungle is truly alive. You could hear things walking, foliage rustling, water trickling, birds flying and I swear you could hear it growing. We didn’t leave the lamps off for long, but that brief pause in our visual perception was really amazing… and rather scary since we had seen a sampling of the creatures that lived there.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 12:50 pm.
Sheridan, that gave me shivers!!!! You are much braver than I am–pretty sure I’d be terrified to walk in the jungle at night. Yikes!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:41 pm.
I’ve seen things that take my breath away, but probably are old hat to others. Like the colony of seals that live off the Isle of Skye. Or the vast open land you drive through on the way to Taos. Untouched land as far as the eye can see all the way around (and no cell phone reception). Being way up in the mountains where no one else it. The top of the world in Norway.
I’ve been lucky.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 1:05 pm.
Those are lovely, Julia And the thing is, whether anyone else finds it old hat or not is beside the point. The first time a child sees a kitten is pretty awe-inspiring even if kittens are ordinary.
Thanks for that.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:42 pm.
Nature always stuns me. One night that I’ll never forget, is when we went on vacation 2 years ago. We were heading to Montana to go to my 20 year hs reunion. Since Mt. Rushmore is 5 hours from where I grew up, we decided to start in South Dakota. We flew into Rapid City at night. After we had driven about 20-30 minutes outside of Rapid, we pulled over to show our kids the stars, which they rarely see in LA. To me it was like the sky that I grew up seeing every night, but that I night I got to see it thru my daughter’s eyes. She was just 7 at the time. After I had pointed out the Big Dipper and as I was pointing out the Little Dipper, she said, ‘I’ll never forget this moment.’ She hasn’t and still talks about wanting to see more stars.
My neighbors must think that I’m crazy because I’m always out taking pictures when we have clouds – MASSIVE, PUFFY clouds – not the little skimpy ones that pass for clouds in SoCal. Those big clouds make for some of the most beautiful sunsets (and sunrises) that I’ve ever seen in my life. Last night, we had clouds of cotton candy, dipped in a bit of sunshine.
I LOVE thunderstorms. All that rain, lightning, and possible hail is beautiful to me. I love the sound of the rain coming down so hard. Once I saw a rain so hard that it created 2 feet high bubbles where some soap had spilled behind my hometown’s grocery store. It was incredible.
I want to be in the boat whale watching. Now’s the perfect time for us, too, with the whale migration. I need to go. I’ve seen the whales’ spout water from the cliffs here with binoculars, but I want to be up close. We get California grey whales as well as humpback whales and the occasional blue whale (they had like 5 sightings last year). I’ve seen pods of 6 or 7 dolphins when I walk on the strand. I want to see some whales that close.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 1:10 pm.
I love it that you shoot photos of the clouds. They can be so beautiful, so amazing, so powerful, right?
Your daughter’s awe touched me deeply. It’s amazing to me when we go up to the mountains and you can see the stars like that again–and equally amazing that I can see cities shining into the night sky beyond the mountains. Wild world.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:45 pm.
Barbara, what a wonderful experience. Just to get that close to the dolphins in their natural habitat must have been awe inspiring.
One thing I can remember that took my breath away was seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time. Then we went to the Continental Divide outside of Denver. I was fifteen at the time with a lot more stamina that I have now. I don’t remember it being so hard to get to although they say now you need a hardy 4-wheel drive vehicle to get near there.
The other is being in the White Mountains in New Hampshire when the air temperature was forty below Fahrenheit. That was the nighttime temp, but it wasn’t much better during the day. That was my one and only attempt at snow skiing.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 1:17 pm.
The Continental Divide in the Rockies is a pretty cool place, and I try to always remember how my trainer, who is from Kansas, feels about finally coming to colorado and the mountains. He’s so happy to wake up to them every day that I remember to be thankful, too.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:47 pm.
We went to a dolphin show at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago when Daughter was about 3. The first time Daughter saw dolphins, she was in awe. Her current career is to be a dolphin trainer, like at the aquarium.
When we were in Brazil, I spotted a whale while looking down some cliffs into the ocean. DH thought it was a rock. Then the tail came out of the water and went down. It was so cool. I have no idea what kind of whale it was, but I was right! We ended up watching it play a couple of hours in the shallows. It was like the whale wanted to hang out at the beach, too.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 1:51 pm.
Brazil! That’s cool, too.
I love it that your daughter wants to be a dolphin trainer.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:48 pm.
I love spying dolphins! They’re not uncommon to see here playing in the waves but the most beautiful sight I had of them was while whale-watching as well, in Mexico. We were heading back across a large bay in a sailboat and they came alongside of us, dozens and dozens and dozens, close enough to reach out and touch. I’ll never forget seeing them streak across the water to join in the race.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 1:52 pm.
You ocean girls have all the best stories! I would love to touch one someday.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:49 pm.
Barbara, I continue in my jealousy over your NZ trip! I love whales and dolphins — smart enough to have figured out what they need and be content with it. I’ve never seen dolphins in the wild, though!
I was on an Alaskan cruise once, and looked out through the dining room window just in time to see this massive pair of flukes rise up and then sink slowly into the water. I was just so…in that moment, thinking of how very big the whale must have been, how much larger the ocean is, etc. Coolest nature moment ever.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 1:57 pm.
Alaska again! That makes me want to move up my plans to visit even more. It sounds so amazingly beautiful.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:49 pm.
Years ago when we used to backpack into the wilderness, I stood on the highest granite peak in in the Sawtooth Mountains. I felt like I was standing on top of the world looking down. There just aren’t words to describe the beauty.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 2:56 pm.
Rachel, technically you were at the top of the world!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 8:22 pm.
I live in southwest Florida near beautiful beaches and warm waters. When we have gone out on our boat, we have had dolphins following us. If we tap lightly on the side of the boat, they come right up to us and are so cute and friendly. We also have manatees which get quite large. They are such gentle creatures and love to winter in the warm waters here. Because of that, we have strict slow zones for boaters to help ensure that manatees and dolphins are not injured.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 3:23 pm.
From all these posts, it sounds like Florida is a great place to visit with sea wildlife.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 8:21 pm.
Nature is good at taking my breath away. I love the views from hilltops and mountains. Ocean and lakeshores have all sorts of “moods” many lovely. I’ve seen a sunset sky in half the sky while the other half thundered and a rainbow bridged the two halves. I got to see dolphins on a whale watching tour out of Monterey Bay, it was a blast, they are so fun to watch, so were the whales and sea lions. The dolphins were the most active and fun though
.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 3:43 pm.
ooooh, I like sea lions, too. They’re so goofy looking!
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 8:21 pm.
What a truly awesome experience. Really worthy of the real meaning of awesome.
One night, I was driving up to Montreal with friends. We saw something odd in the shy and eventually realized it was the aurora borealis. The next morning, we were woken around 6 am when the hotel beds started moving – it was an earthquake. Two natural phenomena within 8 hours. It was very cool.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 10:08 pm.
I’ve experience the joy of dolphins a few time. Mostly camping at state beach parks. In Cardiff By the Sea, CA and in First Landing State Park in VA, they come in and out of the bay, feeding, in the early morning and the late afternoon.
Also, I’ve watched them weave and jump in and amongst surfers in So California. They’re playfulness and joy is contagious.
It reminds me of a time I was watching birds in a tree at play. They would suddenly fly up and cruise around and then fly back down and chatter for a while. It was clear that they were flying for the sheer joy of flying.
Posted on January 30, 2013 at 11:39 pm.
I have actually been on a big boat with dolphins jumping through the bow waves. (Just like a CGI moment in a movie.) It was just so beautiful.
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 4:11 am.
We saw the most amazing whales while in Alaska and it is something I will never forget…how graceful they were yet so big…it was wonderful.
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 10:38 am.
I’ve seen dolphins … on T.V.! No, that’s not what you meant. I did see a dolphin show. I think it was at the Indianapolis Zoo. I saw Shamu at Sea World. Unfortunately they are not in Ohio anymore. I guess we were lucky to have it at all, since all the other locations are in warmer places. It used to be in Aurora, near Cleveland. Then it changed to Six Flags (around 2001 or ’02) and it’s something different now.
I went to Niagara Falls. I took a day trip there from Toronto. We also stopped at Niagara-on-the-Lake and there were a lot of little stores to go into.
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 4:20 pm.
Many times I feel such joy in nature that my heart pounds and my breath catches in my throat, mostly in Spring and Fall and usually in unspoiled areas like the redwoods, a mostly-uninhabited beach, a mountaintop. I get these feelings walking in my neighborhood with my Yorkie, Maggie, greeting people I know and often stopping to chat, mostly during Spring and Fall when the many trees around us are aglow with color, birds are singing and squirrels are frolicking. I am so in love with life at those moments! And I have seen dolphins at play in the ocean–a wonderful sight indeed. I just get seasick on boats/ships/barges and so don’t get out on the ocean much.
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 5:11 pm.
I have never seen a whale or a dolphin, but I hope to someday. Nature always takes my breath away, but there is one time that I remember clearly. Several years ago in the autumn I was walking with my parents and sister in the woods. We came to a grove of young birch trees whose leaves were a beautiful golden color. With the sun shining through the leaves it was like walking through liquid gold. It was one of the most beautiful fall days I have ever experienced.
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 5:36 pm.
Beautiful post, it looks so lovely. I am a huge fan of getting inspired by nature! Nothing brings me closer to my imagination than letting it run loose over the scenery around me
Posted on February 1, 2013 at 3:04 pm.
I find all of nature amazing! From the lightening storms in Phoenix – amazing light show!! To the Grand Canyon – a prime example of pictures not being able to do it justice! I now live on the west coast – and love the beaches…All the beaches! ha!
Posted on February 2, 2013 at 5:31 pm.