Amelie came up into my bed in the middle of
the night and I was awake then for a couple of hours. Initially I was worrying
about things then I looked up some auto electricians online and started to plan
the next leg of our trip and felt much better. When I woke up in the morning I
felt ok although my cold seemed worse. I went for a quick walk down to the
beach then came back to ring an auto electrician who started work at 7am. He
wasn’t able to help me but gave me the number of someone who would probably be
able to. I played with Amelie for a while then rang the 2nd guy, he
agreed to come out and have a look at the window the following morning.
We’d planned to have a quiet day today then
go to Dolphin Marine Magic (formerly the Pet Porpoise Pool) tomorrow – but not
knowing how long it would take the window to be fixed I didn’t want to risk
having to sit around all morning waiting to be able to go. So we decided to go
today and quickly got everyone else out of bed, had breakfast, packed some
food, untaped the window and were at the Dolphin place by 9.30. I’d bought our
tickets at the caravan park and saved about 15% which was a nice bonus. When we arrived I taped the window back up in case it rained and for security.
We had arrived at the dolphin place in time
for dolphin kisses so we headed out to the dolphin pool – there were 2 dolphins
swimming in the pool when we arrived so we excitedly watched them for a while.
The kids then lined up to get a kiss from a dolphin which they all loved. They
said the dolphin’s nose felt rubbery. We headed down to then get a hug from a
seal – the kids all had one individually and then I joined them all for a group
hug. We were able to put our arms around the seal – it felt smooth and furry
and slippery.
We went back to the dolphin pool to get
ready to watch the show – we were early enough to get the front row of seats,
right at the middle of the pool. The show was enjoyable and funny – and Amelie
was picked to go and help the dolphins dance – she got to stand by the side of
the pool and conduct the dolphins by pointing her fingers and swinging her
hands side to side. The smile on her face was as big as I have ever seen. The
seals performed directly in front of us, we had a great view. Caitlin was
picked to throw rings to a seal, who caught them over her head. She was also
pretty thrilled. Once the show had finished we were all able to stand at the
side of the pool and the dolphins swam past on their backs and we were allowed
to pat their bellies. They felt cool and smooth and it was a lot of fun.
After the show we went to watch the shark
and ray feeding. We looked at the fish, small sharks and rays in a large tank –
we could look in through the top, or through windows in the side. There were
also smaller tanks containing colourful fish from the region. Fish and squid
were handed out on little metal plates and we were able to feed the animals
using tongs. Some of the big snapper really splashed as they came up to grab
the food, it was pretty funny. A banjo shark came right up the side of the tank
and kept popping up to try and get food – it was beautiful and also amusing.
Next we watched the green turtles being fed
– one of them was huge and the others a good size. We listened to the guy talk
about how and where they’d been rescued and some other turtles that had been
rehabilitated. On our way from there to the penguin feeding I noticed a plaque
with this trainer’s name on it – he has been working there since 1970, so would
have been there even when I visited as a 2 year old!
The Little Penguins were very cute (as
expected). We got some photos then were able to help feed them fish – the guy
handed out a couple of little fish or a piece of squid to each person as they
got to the front of the line – we held out the fish and the penguins pulled
them out of our hands (and then fought over the fish until one of them managed
to swallow it). We were able to back to the end of the line and keep feeding them
until all the fish were gone – the kids had several turns. Most people were
feeding the penguins right up at the barrier, we reached a bit further back to
feed some of the other penguins. Some of them didn’t like squid (and many
people didn’t want to hold the squid) – Liam spent quite a while trying to find
a penguin to eat his last piece of squid.
We then helped feed the small turtles
(throwing pellets in to their pond), looked at the photos of the dolphin kiss
and seal hug, then went back up to look at the dolphins again. One of the
trainers was about to do a training session with a seal so we were able to sit
(in our front row seats again) and watch that, it was cool to see how the
trainer was working on tricks with the seal. We chatted to another trainer who
had started working there part time in Year 11 and had recently moved to a full
time job once she finished school, she loved working there and was really
appreciative of the opportunity she’d had. One of the dolphins brought a ball
over to the edge and Amelie played catch with it for a little while which was
pretty fun. Walking back down from the pool we saw a trainer with a little New
Zealand Fur Seal and talked to her and one of the vets.
We went and had some lunch (surrounded by a
school group) and the kids wandered around and looked at the animals some more.
Soon it was time for the afternoon session of dolphin kisses so we went back
for more – I had a kiss this time as well, it was pretty cool (and yes, it did
feel rubbery). Then off for hugs with the seal, the kids had another individual
hug, I had one as well, and Caitlin and Liam hugged her together.
Back to see the show again, and had our
front row seats again. This time I was picked to hold fish out for the dolphins
to jump up and grab (very excited), Liam got to help the dolphins dance,
Caitlin got to do a tooth and heart check on one of the dolphins, and Amelie
got to throw a ball to one of the seals. (There were very few people in the
audience this time, only 2 other kids and they also were selected to interact
with the animals). We patted the dolphins again then went for another shark
feeding and turtle feeding. We played with the dolphins in the pool again,
throwing the ball to them, and then went back to see the penguins and fed them
again. We went and watched the seals in their pool for a while, and then went
to purchase the group photo of us with the seal. The kids browsed the gift shop
and Caitlin and Amelie bought some jewellery.
It was very hot and humid by now so we
decided to go to the Big Banana to get a frozen banana. I drove around via the
beaches so we could have a look – the beach just to the north of the marina
looked very inviting, not rough, wild surf like everywhere else we’d been. I
drove all the way to the end of Ocean Parade and the last little bit felt very
familiar – just like a memory I have of walking with my Dad when we were in
Coffs Harbour in 1974. (I checked with Mum later and we stayed just near that
road on that trip, so I think it was the place from my memory). On the way out
of town we passed a shopping centre so called in to get some milk and something
for dinner. We also went to Target and bought some clothes that were needed.
At the Big Banana we bought 2 choc (and
sprinkle) covered frozen bananas to share, as well as an Ultimate Banana
smoothie (with cinnamon and maple syrup) and a Choc Banana smoothie. They were
all delicious and very very enjoyable. We wandered through the banana and then
went to play in the video arcade for a short time. The kids all got lots of
tickets and we exchanged them for a few little toys – including those rubber
popping domes that I remember loving as a kid. We went back to the banana and
took some photos of the kids in front of it, and I figured out the self-timer
on my camera and we got a group shot.
There’s now a fun park at the Big Banana as well but we were there too
late in the day to do any of the activities.
Back at the caravan park we went for a swim
in the pool which was lovely and refreshing. Amelie played for a while with
some other kids in the playground. I figured out that this caravan park was the
same place I’d stayed with my family in 1986 – but it looked different because
they seem to have recently sold the top half of the park and it’s now a housing
estate. So I was feeling quite nostalgic for previous Coffs visits.
We cooked sausages on the bbq in the camp
kitchen and then headed back to camp for a quiet night. There was more rain coming so I spent a bit of time setting up the awning so that none of the rain pooled in the roof, and felt like I did a pretty good job (it worked overnight).
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