DAY 13 TUESDAY
Well - big day today - Discovery Cove.
We are all up early and leave AKL without any breakfast (DS is absolutely disgusted at this parental neglect!). I want to get to DC early to make the most of the day and also I have heard that the dolphins are more playful during the first few hours.
Arrive at DC at 8.00 having driven down a toll road both ways (two tolls paid!) due to a navigational mishap - obviously mine (I said in a quiet voice!).
Park "Happy" in a nice shady spot to keep him cool for the long day ahead.
Into the reception and you really start to see where your money is going. From the moment you step through the door - you are treated as a "Special Guest" and made to feel very welcome indeed. The reception area is really cool and a lady offers us a free coffee - this is my kind of place! We have our photos taken for the ID tags and then another free photo which we can collect later.
Our swim is very soon - 8.45 so we go off to get fitted up with the requisite suits and floatation devices (luckily DW brought her own spare tyre) - WILL YOU STOP SMACKING ME - I'M JUST JOKING WOMAN........
We waddle straight down to the beach looking rather silly dressed in our wetsuits and snorkels where we are introduced to our trainer (I resist the urge to roll over and bark for a fish!). She gives us instruction on how to interact with the Dolphin. Then we wade into the water to meet Flipper (OK - so I can't remember what the flippin' fish was called!). We float out to deeper water and have about half an hour of play and an individual swim with Flipper. Touching one of these magnificent creatures is really weird - they feel like a wet suit - sort of slimy and rubbery - if you know what I mean. It's a great experience for us all but it's all over too quickly really. There are DC employees all over the place taking pictures and video footage which you can (and we did) purchase later in the day.
Were not much of a sunbathing type family so we for-go the loungers in favour of exploring further. The big pool full of fish is our first stop but DD suddenly develops a fear of Rays and is convinced that they are going to bite her. No amount of reassurance will overcome this so we have a tough time trying to get her round the whole pool. Next stop - the Ray pool - DD Sits this one out! It's fascinating feeding these creatures and they have a very "velvety" feel.
Then we try the Lazy River - wow - the temperature difference here is amazing. The "living" pools are all seawater and quite cold but this "artificial" pool is like a bath. We "laze" in the river - stopping to feed the birds in the aviary on the way round. Little parrots and other brightly coloured birds come and sit on your hands and shoulders while you feed them - it's quite magical for the kids. DD makes her now infamous comment and I beat a hasty retreat through the waterfall followed by a rather large gentleman dressed in combat fatigue swimming trunks and a sunburnt neck Whats that hes shouting? Yes I will be going home to England soon thanks for asking! I run in fear that hes gone back to his locker to get his crossbow (obviously a patron of Bass Pro World!).
There is a loud rumbling - Oh no - a thunderstorm brewing? - Well - yes there is - but the noise is actually coming from DW's stomach - must be lunchtime!
Lunch is superb. I had the Fajita's (must get that seen to when I get home!) and a salad and a bowl of pasta and cheesecake for dessert. WHAT? It was free - what do you expect me to do? DW had Salmon, salad, pasta and carrot cake. DS had Hot dog and fries with a huge chocolate fudge cake and DD had Chicken tenders, fries and the same dessert. We sit down under a shady canopy to eat and are "serenaded" by a couple of chaps with a guitar and a backing track - quite pleasant. I could spend a week here actually! (Actually not - it would cost about four and a half grand for a family of four - not including flights, car or accommodation!)
If only my balls would come up (lottery balls you foul minded people!).
After about a half hour recovery period we sink (literally!) back into the fish pool again to watch the feeding time frenzy (I wonder if the fish thought the same about our lunch!). Then we "Laze" in the river some more. There is a shower and we are ordered out of the water for fear of a thunderstorm so we find a sheltered spot and pay for (gasp!) coffee's and coke's while it passes. A short while later we are back in the river. As we round the last bend before coming back to the beach where we started there is a sharp tingling sensation on my back. For a moment I fear that Mr. Redneck has found me and is blasting his double gauge shotgun from across the park! I had been snorkelling all the way round and not looking ahead and when I get up I find I am being pebble dashed by driving rain. We run for shelter (don't want to get wet do we?) and decide to call it a day. It's 5.30 and it's been a wonderful day so we shower using the free shower gel's and shampoo's and trek off to find our photo's and video. $98.00 later (ouch!) we leave the park and pick up "Happy" to take us back home to AKL.
I can't fault today - Discovery Cove is a little piece of paradise and has been worth every penny.
Back at base we refill the mugs (did I mention that it's free!) and have an early night.
That "Muppet" on the weather channel is now looking really worried about hurricane Francis and I'm now starting to think - what happens if he's right and it does hit here before Friday? How are we going to get home? I still hope that they are being over-cautious after "Charlie" and I expect it will turn away in another direction.
Tomorrow it's Typhoon Lagoon with DS1 & DGF and then Magic Kingdom in the evening - hopefully.
Night all -
I dream of being chased by a shark called Francis!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Well - big day today - Discovery Cove.
We are all up early and leave AKL without any breakfast (DS is absolutely disgusted at this parental neglect!). I want to get to DC early to make the most of the day and also I have heard that the dolphins are more playful during the first few hours.
Arrive at DC at 8.00 having driven down a toll road both ways (two tolls paid!) due to a navigational mishap - obviously mine (I said in a quiet voice!).
Park "Happy" in a nice shady spot to keep him cool for the long day ahead.
Into the reception and you really start to see where your money is going. From the moment you step through the door - you are treated as a "Special Guest" and made to feel very welcome indeed. The reception area is really cool and a lady offers us a free coffee - this is my kind of place! We have our photos taken for the ID tags and then another free photo which we can collect later.
Our swim is very soon - 8.45 so we go off to get fitted up with the requisite suits and floatation devices (luckily DW brought her own spare tyre) - WILL YOU STOP SMACKING ME - I'M JUST JOKING WOMAN........
We waddle straight down to the beach looking rather silly dressed in our wetsuits and snorkels where we are introduced to our trainer (I resist the urge to roll over and bark for a fish!). She gives us instruction on how to interact with the Dolphin. Then we wade into the water to meet Flipper (OK - so I can't remember what the flippin' fish was called!). We float out to deeper water and have about half an hour of play and an individual swim with Flipper. Touching one of these magnificent creatures is really weird - they feel like a wet suit - sort of slimy and rubbery - if you know what I mean. It's a great experience for us all but it's all over too quickly really. There are DC employees all over the place taking pictures and video footage which you can (and we did) purchase later in the day.
Were not much of a sunbathing type family so we for-go the loungers in favour of exploring further. The big pool full of fish is our first stop but DD suddenly develops a fear of Rays and is convinced that they are going to bite her. No amount of reassurance will overcome this so we have a tough time trying to get her round the whole pool. Next stop - the Ray pool - DD Sits this one out! It's fascinating feeding these creatures and they have a very "velvety" feel.
Then we try the Lazy River - wow - the temperature difference here is amazing. The "living" pools are all seawater and quite cold but this "artificial" pool is like a bath. We "laze" in the river - stopping to feed the birds in the aviary on the way round. Little parrots and other brightly coloured birds come and sit on your hands and shoulders while you feed them - it's quite magical for the kids. DD makes her now infamous comment and I beat a hasty retreat through the waterfall followed by a rather large gentleman dressed in combat fatigue swimming trunks and a sunburnt neck Whats that hes shouting? Yes I will be going home to England soon thanks for asking! I run in fear that hes gone back to his locker to get his crossbow (obviously a patron of Bass Pro World!).
There is a loud rumbling - Oh no - a thunderstorm brewing? - Well - yes there is - but the noise is actually coming from DW's stomach - must be lunchtime!
Lunch is superb. I had the Fajita's (must get that seen to when I get home!) and a salad and a bowl of pasta and cheesecake for dessert. WHAT? It was free - what do you expect me to do? DW had Salmon, salad, pasta and carrot cake. DS had Hot dog and fries with a huge chocolate fudge cake and DD had Chicken tenders, fries and the same dessert. We sit down under a shady canopy to eat and are "serenaded" by a couple of chaps with a guitar and a backing track - quite pleasant. I could spend a week here actually! (Actually not - it would cost about four and a half grand for a family of four - not including flights, car or accommodation!)
If only my balls would come up (lottery balls you foul minded people!).
After about a half hour recovery period we sink (literally!) back into the fish pool again to watch the feeding time frenzy (I wonder if the fish thought the same about our lunch!). Then we "Laze" in the river some more. There is a shower and we are ordered out of the water for fear of a thunderstorm so we find a sheltered spot and pay for (gasp!) coffee's and coke's while it passes. A short while later we are back in the river. As we round the last bend before coming back to the beach where we started there is a sharp tingling sensation on my back. For a moment I fear that Mr. Redneck has found me and is blasting his double gauge shotgun from across the park! I had been snorkelling all the way round and not looking ahead and when I get up I find I am being pebble dashed by driving rain. We run for shelter (don't want to get wet do we?) and decide to call it a day. It's 5.30 and it's been a wonderful day so we shower using the free shower gel's and shampoo's and trek off to find our photo's and video. $98.00 later (ouch!) we leave the park and pick up "Happy" to take us back home to AKL.
I can't fault today - Discovery Cove is a little piece of paradise and has been worth every penny.
Back at base we refill the mugs (did I mention that it's free!) and have an early night.
That "Muppet" on the weather channel is now looking really worried about hurricane Francis and I'm now starting to think - what happens if he's right and it does hit here before Friday? How are we going to get home? I still hope that they are being over-cautious after "Charlie" and I expect it will turn away in another direction.
Tomorrow it's Typhoon Lagoon with DS1 & DGF and then Magic Kingdom in the evening - hopefully.
Night all -
I dream of being chased by a shark called Francis!
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
