Heading into
the town of Oamaru, we were impressed by the beautiful architecture through the
downtown and waterfront vicinity. Many
of the old structures were built of limestone, which is mined locally. Learning that yellow-eyed penguins lived
nearby, we wanted to make an effort to see the rare bird. Living in nests near the shore, at the Bushy
Beach Scenic Reserve, we headed out around sunset. With only around 4,000 of these penguins in
existence, we knew that sighting the critters may be difficult. These penguins live in this area year-round,
but at this time of year, the eggs have recently hatched. One of the parents goes out before sunrise to
fish for the chicks (there are usually 2), returning around sunset to feed
the youngsters. The other parent stays
behind to protect the chicks. At this location, an overlook is provided and people are supposed to clear the beach by 3 PM, so
the penguins will come in. After a half-hour wait, three penguins came into shore at the far end of the beach. We were thrilled, and now hooked on these
cute creatures, we were anxious to see more.
South of Oamaru,
we stopped to walk down the beach to see the Moeraki Boulders. These spherical rock concretions first
started forming 55 million years ago.
While I questioned the decision to walk down the beach on this chilly,
windy morning, once we got there I was glad we had made the trek. The boulders lying on the beach reminded me
of the alien pods from the movie, Cocoon.
Split boulders display beautiful yellow
crystals of lime.
Katiki Point
Lighthouse and penguin hide is located a little further down the road. Seals climbed on the rocks leading down to
the hide, where we sat and waited a while, but didn’t see any penguins. Alan explored down a narrow, slanted trail
behind the lighthouse. At the end of the
trail, he found a couple of yellow-eyed penguins, one just a few feet away.
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| Penguins on left, seagulls on right |
Moving down
to the Dunedin area, we planned another penguin adventure. Staying in the nearby waterfront community of
Portobello, we traveled down to Otago Peninsula after sunset to see Little Blue
Penguins. In a specially lighted beach
area, the birds start swimming in around 9 P.M. and continue coming in groups
for a few hours. The birds would hit the
beach running, and didn’t slow down until they reached their burrows up in the
hills. We wound up staying for a couple
of hours, as wave after wave of penguins came to shore. At an average of 13 inches in height, these
are the smallest penguins. This is the
same penguin we had missed seeing on Penguin Island, south of Perth in
Australia.
Now south to Porpoise Bay.
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| Katiki Point Lighthouse |
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| ???? |
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| Penguin hide |
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| NZ fur seal |
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| Drive along the coast |
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| Peninsula (at low tide) where penguins came in an hour later |
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| Little Blue Penguin |
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| Overview on the drive near Portobello |
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| Beach overlook |
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| Split Moeraki Boulders |
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Alan with Boulder
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On the route
through the Fiordland National Park, we had an opportunity to get out and walk
around at Mirror Lake, The Chasm Walkway and at the single-lane Homer Tunnel,
when we arrived at an extended red light. The tunnel was completed in 1954. Roads and tunnels through the park were first started as a work project during the depression. Arriving at the cruise boat at Milford Sound,
we were led to the dining room for a full buffet lunch as the boat headed out
from the dock. The captain provided narration as we cruised through the stunning surroundings. Front and rear open decks provided a great
area for snapping photos. We spotted many NZ fur seals but were thrilled when we had the opportunity to see another
new penguin, the Fiordland Crested Penguin.
It was a phenomenally beautiful trip.
