Dunedin
We left Invercargill under drizzly skies and before we hit the road we went to the Southland Museum and Art Gallery to see a very rare reptile The Tauatara. This extremely rare and endangered species can only be seen at the breeding programme at this facility. Henry, a male Tuatara became a father, possibly for the first time in his life, in 2009, at the age of ONE HUNDRED and ELEVEN so that now means he is in his 115th year. Apparently, they can live up to 200 years. The Tuatara in the photo is not Henry as he was nowhere to be seen, probably taking a nap. Check out the camouflage.
From here we attempted once more to explore the Catlins. Yet again the rain got progressively worse but we went to Slope Point, stopping on the way at a little Tearoom ran by people from Bridgend, Wales. The road was horrendous but we made it in and out without getting stuck. From there we went to Curio Bay and were privy to an amazing sight, The Petrified Forest, estimated to be 180 million years old. It is also home to the very endangered and possibly, the most rare of all penguins, The Yellow Eyed Penguin. We saw one of these penguins but too far in the distance for a good photo. We continued our journey through The Catlins to Dunedin and checked into our very quirky accommodation The Living Space in Castle Street, which was within walking distance of everywhere in the city. The bathroom was like a space capsule.
On our first night we had planned to go out for dinner but didn’t like the look of the weather and opted for a quick shop at New World and an evening in. Just as well as the heavens opened and it blew a gale all night long.
The next morning, the weather had cleared, the sun was out and we took a stroll to the city centre where we had coffee at a pavement café and took in all the sights. The Octagon is very interesting where many of the major buildings are located, including The Cathedral and Robbie Burns Statue.
In the afternoon we headed back to the part of The Catlins that we missed and in the sunshine the views were spectacular. With the rain holding off we were able to walk to George Street and dine on sumptuous Blue Cod at The Reef.
On Friday we spent the day on The Otago Peninsular, which is incredible. The views are breathtaking and the very narrow, extremely windy roads, with a sheer drop down the cliff one side, took your breath away, hopefully not our last. We went right to the top of the Peninsular where we were lucky to see Royal Albatrosses, fur seals, a huge gull colony and shags. There is a Blue Penguin Colony there too but they leave at dawn and do not return until dusk. We then went down into the middle of the peninsular to Larnach Castle, which is New Zealand’s only castle. As we had booked a tour at Penguin Place we were only able to tour the castle gardens, which were glorious. See photos.
Later at Penguin Place, a conservation project for the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguin and the Little Blue Penguin we also saw more fur seals languishing on the rocks. The Penguin Place is in the process of restoring the natural habitat along the coastline on the property and has installed nesting boxes for both types of penguins. The Yellow Eyed Penguin is quite large and an adult weighs around 5 kilograms and averages just over 2 feet in height. They are solitary breeders, extremely territorial and so cute. Both parents raise a solitary chick, taking turns daily, going to sea to fish, while the other parent cares for the little one, who is not so little as you can see. The Little Blue Penguin nests in burrows or boxes that emulate a natural nesting site and have two chicks. Both parents leave the chicks at dawn each day not returning until dusk to feed them. Little Blue Penguins are cuter than cute weighing in at 1.5 kilograms and 12 inches tall. These are the only penguins that are not black on their backs. The conservation efforts, at Penguin Place and other sites, along this coast are helping to increase the populations of these highly endangered birds.
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Tuatara
 | | Slope Point - Catlins |
 | Petrified Forest - Curio Cove
 | | Catlins Coast from above |
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| Catlins |
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| Catlins |
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| Catlins - near Dunedin |
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| Cathedral - Dunedin |
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| Robbie Burns Statue - Dunedin |
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| Fur Seal - Otago Peninsular |
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| YellowEyed Penguin trying to stay cool |
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| Yellow Eyed Penguin with Chick |
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| Juvenile Yellow Eyed Penguin |
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| Blue Penguin Burrow |
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| Little Blue Penguin Chick |
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| Larnach Castle - Otago Peninsular |
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| Larnach Castle - Otago Peninsular |
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| View from Otago Peninsular |
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| Larnach Castle - Otago Peninsular |
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| Barbara at Larnach Castle - Otago Peninsular |
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| Larnach Castle - Otago Peninsular |
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| James - King of Larnach Castle - Otago Peninsular |
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| Silver Eye - Larnach Castle |
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| Dunedin Railway Station - Interior |
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| Dunedin Railway Station |
After returning from our very informative and interesting day we had dinner and took one last look at the parts of Dunedin that we had missed previously. The Railway station has to be one of the most architecturally beautiful in the world and at night it is lit up like a fairy castle. It is Dunedin’s pride and joy.
Time to pack up again and move on to Rakaia in the morning…………….
