Jaunted special contributor Eric Rosen drops us a line from way, way down under...

There’s nothing new about swimming with dolphins these days; it seems like you can hang out with the aquatic mammals pretty much anywhere from Australia to the Bahamas. But during a recent visit to check out post-quake Christchurch, I drove an hour outside the city to the Frenchified hamlet of Akaroa on the craggy Banks Peninsula to swim with some pretty special aquatic life: the world’s tiniest marine dolphins and wild penguins.

Akaroa is a winding hour-long drive southeast of Christchurch through the hills of the Banks Peninsula, where some of the earliest settlements on New Zealand’s South Island were founded. Akaroa actually lies quite near the center of this bulbous landmass, but it’s on the water because its harbor was formed by the collapse of an enormous mega-volcano eons ago.]]> EricRosen 2011-11-29T12:39:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/10/12/82040/550

One of our favorite things about staying on Mexico's Riviera Maya is that it's not just about dips in the Caribbean and margaritas by the pool. Clearly, those things rule, but what's even more awesome is that if you get a rainy day, there are plenty of activities to try.

We've found solace in a stroll down Playa del Carmen's Avenida 5 and in the Mayan ruins of Tulum and Cobá. But the best rainy day we've spent in the Yucatan took place underground—exploring the subterranean rivers of Rio Secreto.

Remember those geology lessons from way back? All that talk about calcium forming stalactites and stalagmites? Here, you get a bit of that education but it turns out, learning is way more fun when you're wearing a wetsuit and a helmet with a headlight. Also, we don't remember ever getting to swim in caves at school.

]]> MsRebecca 2011-10-12T11:32:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/12/10447/5656

Your passport is valid for 10 years. That's a huge amount of time, definitely enough to go from dork-malork college kid to savvy, suave adult (with a far better complexion) and confuse border agents with the differences between your passport photo and the actual specimen. Lately we've been giving more thought to proper passport care, especially with extra pages added and the need to hold onto the thing for however many more years of showing, stamping, stashing.

Unfortunately our passport's appearance just suffered a blow, courtesy of the crazy-humid air of Southeast Asia.]]> JetSetCD 2011-09-12T16:55:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/11/124852/598

Who needs surfing when you can go kayaking? More and more, people are hitting the Southern California waves on kayaks instead of surfboards. One company taking advantage of kayaking's popularity, Aqua Adventures, has created tours that bring people through the San Diego Bay, across the exotic Coronado Islands in Mexico, and even out to sea for some whale watching.

But the most popular local tour is a 1.5-hour guided tour through the La Jolla, CA Sea Caves, a hangout for sea lions, leopard sharks and other wildlife.

You don't need any kayaking experience to take the tours, which run daily between April 5th and October 15th. Prices start at $50. For more information, visit Aqua-Adventures.com.

[Photo: John Matthews]]]> cmb 2011-08-11T13:45:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/7/21/201757/518

It's almost exactly one year before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and what am I doing? Well, squeezing my butt into a wetsuit is the short answer, but the long answer is heading out on the manmade rapids that comprise the Lee Valley White Water Centre just outside of London, for a sampling of what the Olympians will be going through this time next year, and what the adventurous public can experience now.

Did you ever go to an amusement park with little rides for kids that involved a blue track of shallow water with a slow current that lazily propelled round floating rafts until time was up? The Lee Valley White Water Centre is that, for adults, times a zillion, with the addition of major adrenaline rush. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-07-26T12:14:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/2/1/91646/47461

Please forgive us for sending you into daydream mode so early in the morning already, but we simply have to share Entertainment Weekly's find of the World's Largest Slip-and-Slide. Now, it's not been confirmed as the largest by an official from Guinness World Records or anything, but one glance at this video and it's quite difficult to imagine anything beating it.

The Slip-and-Slide is really a man-made reservoir—a totally off-limits, no trespassing-allowed one—but authorities should've considered making it of another material if they really wanted people to keep out with their bodyboards. And of course, like much of the best stuff in Hawaii, this reservoir is located nearby some truly breathtakingly lush scenery.

So here's where it is:]]> JetSetCD 2011-02-01T09:16:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/1/5/215713/2289

For quite some time, Aquarena Springs was home to an amusement park in San Marcos, Texas, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. However, the place is now run by Texas State University and they’re happy to show you all of the treasures found under the sea.

To keep things preserved for future divers you are not just allowed to jump right into the water here, as you need to take one of the monthly dive authorization courses. Hit the water with conservationists and dive experts to learn the dos and don’ts diving in this area—like when to keep your hands to yourself. Just be prepared to shell out around $230 for the pleasure to do so. ]]> kjb 2011-01-13T13:01:07-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/