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Published: March 14th 2006
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Cliff Walk
Note the succulents! We had never heard of paua before moving to New Zealand. Penguins do not live in the northern hemisphere. Both live in the Pacific waters off the coast of Oamaru. After splurging on muffins and drinks at the local grocery, we searched for a spot along the water where we could catch the early morning sun. While cruising around, we noticed signs pointing towards a “Blue Penguin Colony”. The blue penguin (Eudyptula Minor), as we later learned, is the world’s smallest penguin measuring just 25cm tall and weighing only 1 kg. They are attracted to this area because of the relatively warm shallow waters that range between 25 and 70 meters deep. To our delighted surprise, we arrived at a seaward-facing amphitheater used to seat ticket holders for evening viewings of the blue penguins as they march from the shores up to their nesting area. However, the blue penguins had already set out to sea for a day’s work of foraging for food. We decided to follow their lead, and started munching on the muffins that we “foraged” out of our backpack.
After our breakfast, we walked along the shoreline cliffs and then down to the ocean. We encountered two
Pied Shag
Does anyone wanna shag? fur seals, a flock of pied shag, a blanket of black pillow lava, and an abundance of wild succulents and herbs. In the distance, we saw two shiny black dots bobbing in the waters. It was low tide, and some locals were snorkeling through the massive leather-like ribbons of kelp in search of paua. Paua are marine monovalve mollusks that eat seaweed and live clinging to rocks at depths of 1 to 10 meters. Their shells are treasured in New Zealand for the brilliant array of color, but the bellies are also sought after as a delicacy food. The snorkelers taught us our first lessons on fishing paua: The shell must be at least 125 mm long and each diver can only take 10 on a given day.
During our conversation, Brett, one of the snorkelers, learned that we had missed seeing the blue penguins. He brightened as he offered to take us to the nest of some yellow-eyed penguin chicks that he’d seen the other day. Brett filled his net with the allowed 10 paua shells, and then escorted us across town to the secluded penguin nest. Sitting atop a cliff in a hollow were an adult yellow-eyed
Fur Seal
Lounging on the pillow lava penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) with two baby blue-eyed chicks. Only found in New Zealand, these rare birds are called Hoiho (noise shouter) by the Maori, and it is estimated that only 5000 - 6000 individuals remain. We admired the birds for their beauty and their acclaimed squawking and then headed southward along the coast.
Our afternoon was filled with stops at All Day Beach, Moeraki, and Trotter’s Gorge before we ended up in Sea Cliffs for the night. “All Day Beach” is just that, but we only had an hour’s lunch there. Moeraki is probably most often visited for the large concreations stranded on the beach. According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds that were washed to shore from the great voyaging canoe, Araiteuru, after it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand some 1000 years ago. Scientists theorize that the boulders formed about 65 million years ago similar to the way a pearl forms around a particle in an oyster. The boulders were built up from calcite crystallizing around charged particles in muddy undersea sediments, and the soft mudstone containing the boulders was raised from the seabed around 15 million years ago. Over time the sea has eroded the
Bryan on Beach
Gazing onto the Pacific softer elements, exposing the round boulders and their harder calcite veins. In any event, the rocks are fun to climb on.
After frolicking around on the beach, we put our “serious hats” on and headed to Trotters Gorge. The walk through the gorge involved a multitude of stream crossings, and we got our first glimpse at native ferns, kanuka, broadleaf, kowhai, and other shrubs and vegetation. As we entered the depths of the gorge, we passed a man with dreadlocks carrying out a crate of records. Interesting … Minutes passed, and then we came upon a woman in a dress and a man in a tie crossing a muddy puddle. Hmmm… Finally, we could take the suspense no longer, and we asked one jolly bloke what lurked in the forest ahead. Apparently, a group of University of Otago students had a New Year’s celebration in their university cabin just off of the trail. We witnessed several other students carrying out drums, tower speakers, and booze, among an assortment of other items … and people.
Since the party and sunlight were winding down, we began pondering where our next bivouac would be. We remembered Brett from Oamaru saying, “The
Snorkeler
Looking for Paua through the kelp country is really relaxed about camping.” He suggested that we could pop a tent almost anywhere (music to our ears). After driving through Karitane, we spotted a nook that looked promising. We loaded our packs and set out on foot towards a perch over the crashing waves. We crossed over several sheep fences, railroad tracks, and through a coniferous forest. This particular forest tempted us with its soft pine needle bed and sheltering canopy, but curiosity kept us going. One of the barbed wire fences gave us a bit of trouble along the way, and almost ended our quest for the ocean cliff camp site. While Bryan eased over the fence, Mindy (at a disadvantage with her shorter legs) tore her jeans and remained on the forest side. After assessing that she could duck the fence, we found our way safely to the waters edge. Our only fears from then on were either sleep walking off the cliff or lying awake all night from the sounds of the crashing waves.
We woke the following day without injury or baggy eyes. Before long, we reached Dunedin, our destination city for the New Year’s holiday weekend. Dunedin is the southernmost city
Paua belly
This probably tastes better than it looks. along the east coast, and it is noted for its Scottish heritage. We enjoyed touring through the some of the open shops, museums, and the Cadbury Chocolate Factory - home to the only chocolate waterfall in the world. The distance that took us three days to travel south was covered in one afternoon traveling north. All good things come to an end, but this year is just beginning.
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anonymous
non-member comment
such variety in this often wild, beautiful country. You are living our dreams. We appreciate the time and effort the blog takes. It brings us closer to you both . Love Mom