Dogs Are Death To Penguins

Lake Tekapo > Omarama >Oamaru > Dunedin

We left Fairlie as quickly as we stayed. We continued our adventure South towards Lake Tekapo. This lake is stunning. It is seriously the colour turquoise. Up close it is clear making the rock bed visible. After driving through rolling hills filled with sheep and cows, this turquoise wonder was a nice visual change for our wandering eyes. As we drove closer to sea level the turquoise peeped out between the hills. Once there, we couldn’t help but get closer to see if it was a mirror reflection of the sky. The water is just that clear. 

Canterbury Region Countryside

Lake Tekapo Peeping Out

Azur Sounds Better Than Blue

Reminds Me of Bluebonnets

Around the lake were these beautiful blue and purple shrubs, which reminded me of the bluebonnets of Texas. Seeing the blue lake with grey rocks all around with touches of purple and blue shrubbery all surrounded by green hills was breathtaking.

The Purple Variety

Church Overlooking Lake Tekapo

What Beauty

Testing the Waters

Sharing a Stone

Clear Waters

I Could Stare at This Forever

Enjoying Every Moment

Loving The Purple/Blue Shrubs

As we continued on the highway, the blue and purple sprouts followed along the rolling hills. We stopped at a local salmon fishing canal and found even more blue water passing through. We drove through two smaller lakes that were just as blue, but with more activity such as boaters, fishers and water skiers.

We Have Different Photos Styles

The Local Fishing Hole

Picturesque

After a lunch stop in Omarama, we left the central lakes area, finding ourselves back on the east coast to the quaint town of Oamaru. This town is was once a major settlement for fishing, whaling and trade. Now, it is famous for its seaside views and conservation of the Blue Penguin. We stopped by the conservation centre to find out that these 33cm (13 inch) birds were out fishing all day and would be back at dusk. We didn’t have time to wait for dusk as our night’s destination would be in Dunedin – over 200km away.


Instead, we walked through the historic district viewing the local artisans including a limestone sculptor, clay tile artist and a museum of the local painters.

I Want to See a Blue Penguin

Regular Occurrence in NZ

Moeraki Boulders

Our next stop was the Moeraki Boulders. “They’re gonna just be rocks” was our attitude before the stop. We stopped anyway. “When are we going to be in NZ again?” was another attitude about sightseeing.

To warm our bellies and revive us from the long drive, we shared a bowl of seafood chowder overlooking the ocean. The Boulders were just rocks, but they did look out of place. How did they get there? Why are they so smooth? No idea, but it was a good photo opportunity.

Channeling In My Inner Karate Kid

What Does This Look Like To You?

I Didn't Know Alpacas Live in NZ

First Seal Spotting

Making our way towards Dunedin, we followed our roadmap, which listed different points of interest. Shag Point was our first wildlife sighting of fur seals. We parked our rental in the car park of the reserve and read there were seals and Yellow Eyed Penguins in the area. “Dogs are death to penguins” read one of the signs. I can just imagine the fear in a penguin facing the curiosity and tenacity of a dog.

Seal Pup is Awake

We walked to the lookout point to find an entire colony of fur seals sunbathing. It was amazing. We had never seen actual wild seals. Here they were like we stepped into a BBC documentary. In a cave, there were a few seals surrounding a cute and smaller (but still the size of a full grown Labrador) seal pup.

Lazy Summer Days

They Look Like Big Turds

Algae or Spinach Fettuccini

The seals laid on rocks jutting out of the coastline surrounded by sea plants, which I called “Spinach Fettuccini” because they look like long green pasta ribbons.

First Hostel Since 2009

We finally made it to Dunedin in the late afternoon checking into the first hostel we’ve stayed in since our Southeast Asia backpacking trip in late 2009/ early 2010. We were greeted on the porch, by the same scrubby guys I knew back when I first backpacked in 2008.


Backpackers have a certain look about them. They look like they haven’t showered in a while. Clothes include linen or thin cotton t-shirts and pants that have lost their crisp and shoes that are almost always flip flops. They have a cool demeanor about them completely content with where they are physically and in life, but have a wide-eyed wonder about the next adventure. Money is rarely talked about, but they certainly know their way around a hostel kitchen. Tone of voice is either chipper (example: the backpackers who work at a hostel) or totally laid-back (the pot smoking/free spirited/the dirtiest ones on the porch).

View of Dunedin From Our Room

We had a lovely private room with a double bed and single bed. Clean sheets, down pillows and plugs a plenty. This is a different breed of hostel if I say so myself. Dunedin even provides free Wi-Fi all around the city, pretty awesome for a university town.

Delicious Dinner at Saigon Van

We had dinner at a nice Vietnamese restaurant in town. Dave of course ordered a vermicelli bowl as our Vietnamese food encounters are a constant search for the vermicelli bowl that can top the one in his hometown. It’s like the search for the Holy Vermicelli bowl. This one was actually a close second! I had the most delicious stir fried beef – medium rare with delicious onion flavor.

View of the Ocean at Otago Peninsula

Dunedin is another famous coastal town at the base of the Otago peninsula, where we read more penguins nest at dusk. So after a quick dinner, we followed our GPS app to the bay where the penguins come ashore. We had searched a beach halfway up the peninsula, but when we got close a road sign pointed in the opposite direction of the one our GPS had calculated for. We followed the road sign instead and drove another 45 minutes along a very curvy, but amazing peninsula coastline. The road was nearly at the water’s edge. We arrived to Pilot Beach at the very Northern tip of the Otago peninsula right at 9:30pm. We didn’t want to miss the penguin’s arrival especially after driving the entire peninsula. Even at 9:30pm, the sun had not fully set. The Southern Hemisphere doesn’t kid around about the long days.

Sunset at Pilot Beach, Otago Peninsula

At Pilot Beach, there were about 30 people anxiously awaiting the penguin’s arrival. We knew we weren’t late because a) there were too many people still there and b) no one had started pointing or taking photos.

By 10:15pm, we saw two penguins come ashore. It was the blue penguins we had missed in Oamaru! The pair slid on their bellies onto shore and stood up. There were flocks of seagulls all on the beach, but they didn’t care. They hopped on the rocks and continued to hop on an incline towards the bushes. And then they were gone. We knew these birds were endangered, but there had to have been more. Ten minutes later, two sets of dozen came swimming in together. They huddled together once ashore to avoid any seagull bullying and did just as the first pair did – hopping up into the bushes.

Here They Come! Can You Spot The Group?

Out of the Water

Once they were gone, we decided it was time to go. This had been a long day of sightseeing and driving. Plus we saw fur seals and blue penguins! What could be better!

While most were still at the base of Pilot Beach waiting for more penguins, we started walking back to the carpark and encountered the same penguins crossing our path! Dave and I were alone in the dark with a group of the penguins. Thankfully our eyes had adjusted and we could see them waddling. When we took photos, they were startled by the shutter sound and paused. Unfortunately, our only camera is the 8.0 mega pixel one on my Samsung Galaxy II mobile phone and it was night time. Regardless, this was our moment interacting with the tiny penguins. This moment made the drive worth it. It made the entire trip worth it and we still have 11 days to go. I still want to see the elusive Kiwi bird…


Trip Extras:

• Must See Lake Tekapo
• Walk Around Historic Centre of Oamaru
• Have Seafood Chowder at the Moeraki Boulders
• Visit the Seals at Shag Point
• Enjoy the University Atmosphere of Dunedin
• View the Blue Penguins Arrive at Sunset
• Dunedin Hostel: Manor House Backpackers ($60 for private double room)