Day 100 to 103 Albatross, Penguins and other weird stuff!

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We decided to take our route south east towards Dunedin to find penguins. Our crazy NZ Frenzy guidebook told us we could see them for free on a beach, without having to pay the exorbitant fees for a guided trip, (yes we are being tight!) Firstly we made a short stop at the clay cliffs, a rather unusual clay rock formation, I say quick, but the access road was a 4km dirt track, very exciting in the camper! And a 20 minute walk. The cliffs were sort of worth it, see for yourself in the photos. From Omarama we headed south east along a wonderful road along the Waitkaki valley that skirted several lakes, Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki, to Oamaru. This was supposed to be a quick lunch stop, but we found it well worth lingering. Oamaru was once a thriving town in its 1880s heyday, money made from grain and gold. According to the enlightening little film in the tourist information it had a terrible reputation for, drinking gambling and dancing girls, but when the money ran out, all that was left were some very grand Victorian stone buildings. Most of these buildings are rather run down bohemian art or second-hand shops but one of them, the old powerhouse is a Steam Punk museum. This museum is a must see, it has fabulous creations made out of all sorts of old machinery, think quirky sci fi meets ‘Mad Max’. One of the best rooms was a warp room…music, mirrors and lights! Not quite what we expected from a now sleepy little harbour town.



Moving on it was our opportunity to see some wild penguins, we were reliably informed they come out of the water daily around dusk onto Bushy beach, a tiny well hidden beach with a viewing area at the top. We saw 1 rare Yellow eyed penguin, not the encounter we’d hoped for, and on talking to a local, we were told there was much better viewing 30 minutes up the coast. So a mad drive up to Moeraki Lighthouse, 45 minutes later and after another hairy 4km dirt track ride we were in a hide watching penguins emerge from the sea. I was delighted, but Kim seemed less enchanted, I found out he was expecting photo opportunities much like a colony of penguins in ‘Happy feet’! We saw 7 penguins, well they are very rare… and we didn’t have to pay!



The next day we headed into Dunedin, our first rainy day in NZ. We visited the very ornate train station and walked the town which has a few nice buildings, but mainly known as a University town. This city is famed for its Scottish heritage, the nephew of Robby Burns was one of the first Europeans here. In the centre ‘Octagon Area’ we got caught up in their Anzac parade, I was literally stuck in the tourist office blocked by the Mayor, whilst Kim felt obliged to photograph the event. Such a shame it was all in the rain.



As the clouds lifted we headed out of Dunedin to the Otego peninsula, known for its abundance of wildlife. Right at the end of the headland is the Royal Albatross centre, where they run, yes you guessed it tourist trips to see Albatross. Ever optimistic for the free viewing, we pulled into the car park and ‘wow’ there was a young Albatross, we later learned his name is George and the rangers are having to throw him off the cliffs daily, away from the tourists. A lovely exhibition centre, where tours come and are taken up to a special hide. However, on leaving the centre, we found a perch with fabulous views of these magnificent birds. They have an incredibly long wing span and literally soar above you like mini aircraft. This time we were both thrilled with our brush with nature, only to walk down to the nearby beach to watch seals playing really close up. Tempted by the opportunity to see blue penguins today, we decided against as we knew that it would mean a very dark drive back over the rugged peninsular.



An early start the next day and we were off along the gold pioneers route back up into the mountains. We followed the route of the old Otego railway line, the first part of which is a scenic railway from Dunedin to Middlemarch through the Talien Gorge. The second part, the rails have been removed and a very popular 150km cycle route has been established. The scenery was fabulous, really big views, and no traffic, I don’t think we saw another camper all day. The gold rush hit this part of New Zealand in the 1860s, but was gone by the early 1900s. We visited several towns that have a few ornate Victorian buildings, a post office, a hotel and maybe a store or pub, and little else. Naseby seemed to have been caught in this time capsule. From the tiny museum you can see it was once a thriving town with gold prospectors, and all the social infrastructures, hospital, pubs and big curling scene. Today it still has an indoor curling rink, but most of the community and gold have gone. St Bathans and Ophir were two other examples of semi-ghost towns, telling the story of the gold mining history, an incredibly hard life for these prospectors with it seems little reward for many.



With the gold gone so were we, off to Queenstown, known for its adrenalin adventures…

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Photos

Penny farthing
One of the residents cycled the length on NZ on a penny farthing!

The portal
in the Steam Punk museum. A simple idea, a 15ft mirrored room, with lights and music but very effective.

Comments

[christine]

penguins
When we were there we saw penguins on 90 mile beach in the north island was amazing, i have b When we were there we saw penguins on the north island, they were amazing x