Dunedin/Port Chalmers, New Zealand

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Saw my first wild penguins today! They are a very endangered species called yellow-eyed. Only 700 occupy an area of about 700km along the southern coast of the South Island with another 2000 on two other small, uninhabited islands. The preserve here on Otago Peninsula is trying to conserve while still maintaining limited viewing. Anyway, they were still sitting on eggs which should start hatching in a few weeks. So not a lot of activity except for one juvenile who had just come back from his first season of winter feeding and was standing around waiting to moult his first set of seawater feathers and trying to score some territory for future mating. If no one chases him away - it's his.
Both towns are very influenced by their Scots first settlers. Dunedin (pronounced dun eden) is the celtic name for Edinburgh.
Tomorrow we have a full day tour through the backcountry around Akaroa/Christchurch. We probably won't have a chance to see Christchurch which I understand is still slowly rebuilding from the earthquake destruction from last year's and year before's terrible earthquakes.

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