Penguins on Parade

After the glorious mountain scenery of Mount Cook our travels took us to the east coast...a far less rugged landscape. Our base for a couple of days was the old port of Oamaru. A small Victorian town Oamaru has a number of eclectic attractions. Firstly it boasts a beautiful harbour area where old warehouses have been conserved and are now used as artists studios and galleries, for a bakery, an old bookseller and gift shops.

 At odds with the genteel charm of the harbour area but housed in an old warehouse is Steampunk HQ. I confess to having had limited knowledge about Steampunk. Its a science fiction genre that reimagines future worlds but rooted in Victorian era machines. At Oamaru this vision has been translated into a strange gallery in which old pieces of machinery, video and artwork is merged together in darkened atmospheric rooms. Its all very HG Wells meets Dr Who and completely baffling but also inventive.

The strange world of Steampunk HQ

Our main reason for visiting Oamaru was for some penguin spotting. On our first evening we drove to a viewing platform, high above a beach, to watch some yellow eyed penguins return to their burrows. Although a long way from 'the action' our patience was rewarded by seeing two penguins return from a day feeding at sea. The following evening we bought tickets to enter a conservation centre that enables visitors to see blue penguins returning to their nest. The Blue Penguin is the smallest in the world, only 30cm tall, and we got to see around 30 birds returning to their burrows, quacking greetings as they arrived on shore and waddling comically up the beach, over rocks and from only a few meters away. Blue penguins are easily disturbed so no filming of  any kind is permitted. It was a memorable evening. Mrs B's new favourite game was penguin spotting!

After two nights of penguin spotting we headed South to Dunedin. Founded by Scottish settlers Dunedin proclaims itself as the Edinburgh of the South. It certainly delivered weather more akin to Scotland as we had two days of squally showers. Dunedin's railway station must be the most photographed building in New Zealand. An over the top architectural statement it proclaims Dunedin's place in the world.

I confess I didn't find Dunedin to be a particularly attractive city overall but it had a few redeeming qualities in the form of two excellent museums and spacious botanical gardens. Our campsite was on the edge of the city so there were some walks available through the bush. I ventured out after dark on one of these trails to see some more glow worms. Our second day involved driving out to the Otago peninsula. A wild and rocky coastline with beaches well off the beaten track, this peninsula is home to the only mainland breeding colony of the Royal Albatross. We arrived too early for the centre to open but nevertheless managed to spot several of these giant birds soaring over the headland. A return journey took us on unsealed roads where we saw lots more bird life including a pair of kingfishers.  

Our departure from Dunedin and gradual movement south heralded an improvement in the weather. We stayed for one night close to the Moeraki boulders. These almost perfectly round giant balls of rock (limestone) are on a beach just outside a small seaside village of Moeraki. 

The Moeraki Boulders

Our campsite host also told us where we might see some more yellow eyed penguins. Following his directions along a gravel road for a few miles we found a pretty headland. We had hoped to get slightly better views of yellow eyed penguins so set off down a grassy track keeping our eyes peeled for penguins. Nothing could have prepared us for what followed. There were yellow eyed penguins in grassy hollows and on cliff tops only 2-3 meters away. We had to be careful not to walk on them! In addition fur seals were snoozing on rocks and on the grass. Tiptoeing around we spent ages watching penguins groom themselves, socialise or just prepare for sleep.

The next leg of our journey took us through the Caitlins. With gentle hills, wide beaches and dramatic cliffs this area offers the visitor plenty to enjoy. Its off the beaten track too, is sparsely populated and conveys a sense of real remoteness. We drove along quiet roads and as signs for waterfall walks kept popping up we followed yet another gravel road to the start of a waymarked track to the Purakaunai Falls. After walking through dense bush we came to the base to find a picture postcard waterfall. Water cascaded down a series of tiers to tremendous visual effect. These falls apparently featured on a New Zealand postage stamp in the 1970s and have an iconic status. 

The Purakaunai Falls

We carried on for 10 miles and went to see the taller Matai Falls before concluding we'd seen enough for one day! Our campsite was at an 'end of the road' place called Curio Bay. The campsite was sandwiched between the wild sweeping sands of Cooks Bay (home to a pod of 50 Hectors dolphins) and Curio Bay itself,  home but another yellow eyed penguin colony and a petrified forest. The setting was superb and each camper had its own screen of flax to block out the wind but the facilities were primitive. Showers were set in circular concrete bunker like constructions as was a tiny kitchen which could accommodate about 5 people at a squeeze. Fortunately we had Ned so were self sufficient. 

The Curious Curio Bay Kitchen!

We wandered down to Curio Bay early evening to see if we could spot any more penguins. A Department of Conservation volunteer warden was on hand and we learnt that there were 9 breeding pairs. Patience was rewarded when two 4 month old chicks came out of their burrows to greet a parent who was returning from a day feeding at sea. The adult hopped and waddled up the rocks with two noisy chicks demanding food. Surprisingly they moved closer to us...only 3-4 meters away and we watched the adult regurgitate food into the mouths of the chicks. 

One chick was dominant and got the lions share of the food. Everyone spontaneously cheered when the smaller one managed to get some food! 

We also learnt that, following the arrival of orcas in Cooks Bay a couple of days previously, the dolphins had (wisely) made themselves scarce for a while. The next day, when the tide was out, we did an early morning coastal walk and we got to see some of the petrified forest for which Curio Bay is best known. Its possible to see tree trunks lying horizontally that are 180 million years old. This preserved fossil forest is a rare record of plant life that existed before New Zealand broke away from a continental mass called Gondwanaland. Another astonishing glimpse of a long distant past.

We also spotted a couple of penguins so I needed to drag Mrs B. away...Southland and the furthest point south of mainland New Zealand were waiting for us.