New Zealand - Day 5

November 7, 2010

This morning we had to hit the road early and drive to our next destination: Dunedin (pronounced doo-NAY-din). This drive was not nearly as stunning as they have been over the past two days - just a bunch of sheep pastures and small towns. But Lisa and I enjoyed looking out for bouncing lambs - one of the cutest things ever!!

We arrived in Dunedin around 1:30 and checked into the Sahara Guest House - a kitchy old-fashioned B&B where we were all sharing one big room. The bedding and wallpaper were very traditional (and outdated) but the ceiling is ornate and the antique feel gives the place charm.

After getting settled into our room we went to an awesome lunch spot frequented by the local college crowd called The Governor's Cafe. It was very cold outside and we knew we were about to step out into the elements for several hours so we filled up on hot coffee, warm sandwiches and soup. The food and service were outstanding and we would have definitely gone back if we could.

Unfortunately we couldn't linger because the bus for Elm Wildlife Tours would be picking us up at our hotel at 3:00. This was a major find during our research and we were so excited! The tour took us way out on the Otago peninsula and showed us a bit of the local wild birds - namely albatross, as well as fur seals, sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins. Personally, I was still a little apprehensive since we were going to be out in the freezing cold for six hours, but it was SO worth it.

One of the main reasons the tour was so great was because we had a couple of fabulous guides. They were both funny and knowledgeable, and taught us a lot about the history of New Zealand and how its landscape and wildlife population have changed dramatically over the years. Turns out New Zealand is the meeting place of 3 separate tectonic plates. The plates are all sliding in different ways beneath the North and South islands which explains the difference in seismic activity between them. Also, New Zealand was apparently the first land mass to break off from Pangaea and the last one to be inhabited by humans and so for millenia there were no land mammals here. It was all marine animals and tons of birds that exist no where else in the world. All other wildlife now in New Zealand has been introduced by settlers. But because there are no natural predators for them, many of these animals (as well as over-hunting by the Maori people and Europeans) have altered the ecosystem dramatically.

There are still a lot of bird species that are only found in New Zealand and we got to see many of them on the tour. The main ones we were on the look-out for were Albatross, which pretty much look like gigantic seagulls. I'm not usually a big fan of bird watching but our tour guide's hilarious commentary on their unique mating habits made that part of the tour quite fun - even if it was cold and windy outside.

They have a wing span of about 3 meters (9 feet)!!

From there we drove out onto the Peninsula to see some seals and penguins! Our tour group split in half, and our smaller group hiked down a steep hill to an overlook where we could see some fur seals lounging on a large outcropping of rock. The hike was pretty brutal and I wasn't sure if I'd make it back up to the top, but the view and the cute seals were well worth the effort.

The seals and penguins live on land owned by private sheep farmers

but Elm Wildlife Tours has permission to take people out there.

This is one of the reasons the tour was worth the investment -

there is no way we would have gotten this close to these

animals on our own!

This seal was so fat!

So excited to see these cute seals!!

These guys were curious and hopped up the rocks to

a ledge right below us. SO CUTE!

Unfortunately that was only the first half of the trek. I really wasn't sure if I was going to survive another long hike down a steep cliff to the beach where the sea lions and penguins live. But those penguins were the whole point of me going on this tour so I decided to risk it and trust that the pictures would be worth the pain and embarrassment. I am really glad that I went!

First, we caught a glimpse of a miniature blue penguin in its nest. These are the smallest penguins in the world! We couldn't see it very well - just a tiny wing and some white fluff above their little feet, but it was in there! Then we walked out onto the beach and saw some huge male sea lions fight for territory. The warnings our tour guide gave us about how fast they can run on land and how strong they are was enough to make me stand back a bit. But thankfully these giants were not interested in us - only in each other.

This younger seal popped out of the ocean to

check out the action. The other seals weren't

too happy about him butting in.

Finally, we got to walk over to the penguin observatory and watch them slowly pop up out of the water and waddle up the beach. Then they hopped up the rocks to join their buddies on the green hill above where we were sitting. We were surprised by how few of them there were, but apparently they are fairly anti-social penguins. But they are still cute and fun to watch! Our tour guide made sure to note that this is one of the only places in the world where we could see penguins and sheep hanging out together. haha.

After several minutes of penguin-spotting, our group climbed up yet another steep hill to see where the penguins were nesting, but James and I decided to stay behind so that I would have enough strength to hike back up to the bus. I didn't feel like we missed out on much, and we enjoyed seeing a few more penguins appear and waddle up the beach. What an experience!!

Finally, it was time to head back. By grace I had the strength to make it back up. At this point the official part of the tour was over and we were left to our own thoughts during the 40 minute drive back. James and I sat in the front row and were highly amused listening to the tour guides' conversation. Apparently the main guy also dabbles in acting and tried out for a small speaking role in The Hobbit. I hope he gets the part so we can say we met someone in the movie!

The view on the way back was pretty spectacular as the city lights sprang to life and were reflected in the harbor. I tried to get a picture of the dozens of orange streaks on the still, purple water but the bus was moving too fast and they turned out blurry. Oh well.

That night we just relaxed in our room. I journaled while Derick ordered what he thought would be a large pizza but it turns out a jumbo pizza in New Zealand is only 14 inches! Then we all crowded around his laptop and watched a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother until we fell asleep. Good times!!