Otago penninsula

Yesterday we drove 2 hours northeast to Dunedin and from there onto the Otago penninsula. The lambs are growing woolier by the day now. We saw these guys by the dirt road to the aquarium. Apparently they like to sleep ON the road so be careful in the mornings not to hit one.

Stopped for coffee and a wake up walk at Glenfalloch gardens (started way back in the 1700s). Birds, waterfalls, and a free mocha (the machine was acting up and so we had to wait a bit).

The yellow-eyed penguin colony amazed us with it's dug out foxholes and serious camoflouge to get us close up the the rare penguins. We could see them surfing in from the ocean, juveniles socializing, couples pairing up and building nests just feet away from us. Wow!

Then just before dark, found a solitary blue penguin snug in his hole in the bank on Pilot beach. What a surprise!

Didn't see the albatross or the castle this time...we'll be back again soon.

The Caitlins

Here's our drive two weekends ago up the Caitlin coast.

We started in the old port town of Bluff and hiked through the temperate rainforest.

Doubtful Sound and Manapouri Lake

We decided to see the fiordlands yesterday and took out all the stops. Besides 1000's of waterfalls, steep green mountains straight up into the mist from the ocean, rainbows everywhere, we saw penguins, seals, dolphins, birds of all kinds, and alas, no whales...but there's always next time. So here's a taste until you finally get around to buying that ticket and coming to visit us here in heaven on earth!