The next step on our road trip brought us to the wild wonders of the Otago Peninsula (just by Dunedin) and The Catlins National Park.
It seems luck was on our side as we simply stumbled across plenty of wildlife as we hit the Otago headland...albatrosses circling above our heads and fur seals lazily bathing in the sunshine on the rocks by our feet. We even spotted a couple of dolphins gently swimming around the bay.
Our greatest experience however was the blue penguin tour that started before dusk. This tour to see the smallest pengiuns in the world, was run by the wildlife trust so it felt natural (not commercialised like so many others) and we knew that our $20 fee was going to a good cause. Within moments of us getting down to the viewing platform the first raft of pengiuns was arriving. Waddling right under our feet 180 pengiuns all headed back to their mates for the night.
After this amazing upclose experience we didn't think we'd get better than that... but there was much more to discover in The Catlins.
Over two days we explored the varied landscapes:
Rocky bays including Nugget Point where we saw 4 Yellow Pengiuns returning to their nests, and then Curio Bay with its petrified forest where we got up close (50ft away) with a further two yellow pengiuns hopping their way back home.
Vast sandy beaches including Surat Point where we stumbled across 3 sleeping sea lions and a pup and then at Porpoise Bay where Chris braved the chilly waters to swim with 4 dolphins swimming up and down the coastline stretch.
With two full days in The Catlins we felt we had managed to leave no part unexplored - we'd even made it to the most Southern point in NZ; Slope Point.
Wildlife count to date:
Blue pengiuns: 183
Yellow eyed pengiuns: 6
Fur seals: lots!
Sea lions: 6
Albatross: 2
Dolphins: 16
It seems luck was on our side as we simply stumbled across plenty of wildlife as we hit the Otago headland...albatrosses circling above our heads and fur seals lazily bathing in the sunshine on the rocks by our feet. We even spotted a couple of dolphins gently swimming around the bay.
Fur seal bathing on the Otago rocks (20th Nov 2013)
Our greatest experience however was the blue penguin tour that started before dusk. This tour to see the smallest pengiuns in the world, was run by the wildlife trust so it felt natural (not commercialised like so many others) and we knew that our $20 fee was going to a good cause. Within moments of us getting down to the viewing platform the first raft of pengiuns was arriving. Waddling right under our feet 180 pengiuns all headed back to their mates for the night.
Blue Penguins arriving after a days fishing (20th Nov 2013)
After this amazing upclose experience we didn't think we'd get better than that... but there was much more to discover in The Catlins.
Over two days we explored the varied landscapes:
Rocky bays including Nugget Point where we saw 4 Yellow Pengiuns returning to their nests, and then Curio Bay with its petrified forest where we got up close (50ft away) with a further two yellow pengiuns hopping their way back home.
Yellow Eyed Penguins at Nugget Point (20th Nov 2013)
Vast sandy beaches including Surat Point where we stumbled across 3 sleeping sea lions and a pup and then at Porpoise Bay where Chris braved the chilly waters to swim with 4 dolphins swimming up and down the coastline stretch.
Sea lion at Surat Point (22nd Nov 2013)
Then there was the stunning coastal rainforest, which was lush with ferns and mosses, where we walked to 3 stunning waterfalls cascading with vast amounts of water from the hills, discovered and old railway tunnel and enjoyed listening to the musical bird song.
The McLean Falls in The Caitlin's (22nd Nov 2013)
With two full days in The Catlins we felt we had managed to leave no part unexplored - we'd even made it to the most Southern point in NZ; Slope Point.
Slope Point in The Catlin's (22nd Nov 2013)
Blue pengiuns: 183
Yellow eyed pengiuns: 6
Fur seals: lots!
Sea lions: 6
Albatross: 2
Dolphins: 16
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