Dunedin - Nature All Around

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The boat landed us a Port Chalmers whose hills are dotted with more sheep than even the New Zealand clichés would have you believe. After three days at sea, we took our first opportunity to walk on land to make a quick journey to the back of the cruise ship so we could board a smaller boat for a nature discovery trip. Monarch Cruises did an amazing job of taking us out so we could get close up looks at a plethora of local wildlife. We saw endangered sea lions (numbering only 140 on the mainland of NZ), fur seals and their pups, blue penguins, all types of shags and roosting albatross. This area is the only populated area where you can find albatross nesting, so it was a rare treat. After the boat tour, we took a quick bus trip to Dunedin, the second largest city on the South Island. We visited the Speights Brewery, which was a great historical look at the area through the eyes of a brewer. We’d highly recommend this tour. We also walked the main center of the city known as the Octagon which was loaded with great restaurants. We wish we had more time to spend in Dunedin.

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