Encouraged by our short penguin encounter we headed to the east coast towards the bigger penguin colonies. First we spent 2 days in the university town of Dunedin. It was the first 'proper' city since Wellington (it has traffic lights and cabs). We had dinner with Claire, our English tramping friend from Tongariro, and visited the world's steepest street.
We also visited a penguin sanctuary in Otago Peninsula. We hid in trenches, camouflaged like during war, waiting for the yellow-eyed penguins to return from their day of fishing. We were very excited to see a few hobble to their partners who waited for them in the nest.
From Dunedin we continued north along the coast. Our next destination was Oamaru and its blue penguin colony. We stopped on the way at the Moeraki Boulders - huge round rocks on the beach.
Later that night we sat with our warmest clothes on an outside viewing platform watching the blue penguins. They are the smallest type of penguin, the size of a small bottle of milk (30 cm high, 1 kilo weight). Coming from a day of fishing, they formed little groups and climbed to the shore together. They were really funny, some of them stopped half way home then walked back or just stood there, staring. As the time passed, more and more came home. Those which arrived were greeted by their partners with a little dance (and loads of noise) and the partners of those which were still at sea where just screaming for them to come home. It was hilarious!
We also visited a penguin sanctuary in Otago Peninsula. We hid in trenches, camouflaged like during war, waiting for the yellow-eyed penguins to return from their day of fishing. We were very excited to see a few hobble to their partners who waited for them in the nest.
From Dunedin we continued north along the coast. Our next destination was Oamaru and its blue penguin colony. We stopped on the way at the Moeraki Boulders - huge round rocks on the beach.
Later that night we sat with our warmest clothes on an outside viewing platform watching the blue penguins. They are the smallest type of penguin, the size of a small bottle of milk (30 cm high, 1 kilo weight). Coming from a day of fishing, they formed little groups and climbed to the shore together. They were really funny, some of them stopped half way home then walked back or just stood there, staring. As the time passed, more and more came home. Those which arrived were greeted by their partners with a little dance (and loads of noise) and the partners of those which were still at sea where just screaming for them to come home. It was hilarious!
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