Trout streams, snowmelt, rainforest soaks, seas full of cetaceans – New Zealand’s South Island has no lack of wild swimming places Our dream for New Zealand’s South Island was very simple: one campervan, two friends, three weeks, four feet on the dashboard and a cold beer when we pulled up at night. We set off with a monumental greed to experience New Zealand’s wild places, to spend as much time as possible in the non-human world, swimming in freezing rivers, getting lost in the acoustics of the rainforest, drinking from streams and camping out under stars. We wanted to swim with dolphins and fur seals, wake to the piping of bellbirds, hear trees sigh and flightless birds shuffle. In elemental form, the route was dolphins – backcountry – mountains – stars – rainforest. In map terms, the route was Christchurch, Kaikoura and Picton marine reserves, Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman, then back down the wild wet west coast to Mount Cook. Ending at Queenstown with a luxury trip walking the Routeburn, and swimming every part of the way. Setting out before Christmas, we stopped first at the dusty seaside town of Kaikoura, a low series of faded pastel buildings, assaulted by a fierce combination of hot sun and icy southerlies. A deep offshore trench there brings whales, seals and birds from the Antarctic, and the town offers truly wild, wild swimming with seals and dolphins – craft are tightly restricted, and the animals are not fed or induced towards boats. An offshore storm meant boats couldn’t take swimmers out during our stay so we watched waves breaking over a hulking grey sperm whale from a plane instead, then took a screaming dip in the sea, the temperature proving that we were not far from the south pole, that we were in the albatross latitudes. Higher up on the southern tip of South Island, locals pointed us to swimming holes whenever asked. Between Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman we pulled in at the Trout Hotel before Canvastown, and bumped our way down the Wakamarina track to the Butchers Flat car park, past a sign saying: “Keep going, it’s worth it”, to a series of emerald pools.

Original Source Different strokes – wild swimming in New Zealand