Dunedin

Dunedin is the major city in this region and still an important port. With a population of 120,000, the Victorian nature that they promote is lost amongst all the other buildings and cars. Highway One runs right through the middle of town. Trying to build a bypass would be rather futile given the hills that surround it. A lot of money to build a curvy road up and down that probably wouldn’t save any time. Our hotel was right in the middle of town which provided easy walking to restaurants and the I-site where we booked our cruise on the Monarch.

The center of town is the Octagon which actually has eight sides and streets radiation out from it. We were surprised to see the main road running right through the middle since roundabouts are everywhere in this country. It does make it easier for the buses and the center street is lined with pergolas to shield waiting passengers from rain. On one side we do have the two most impressive buildings in town, the government building and the cathedral. A statue of Robert Burns is the other highlight here. Settled first by Scots, this statue highlights that heritage.

Situated on the inland side of a hilly peninsula, Dunedin is perfectly located to promote its natural setting in spite of its obviously urban nature. Five blocks from downtown and we were on the Otago Peninsula where the speed limit never exceeds 30 mph. Our drive out to the end of the peninsula took almost half an hour of curves along the shoreline - a beautiful drive. Near the end we reached the pier for the Monarch, our cruise ship for our trip out into the ocean and views of the Northern Royal Albatross and hopefully others.

Albatross, shags, gulls and spoonbills all next on this piece of land

With only six passengers our guide was able to be with us instead of a disembodied voice on a speaker making for a much more interesting trip. Our first stop was to see a series of cone-shaped nests of the local Otago Shags (we call them cormorants). This is a new species in that it has just been divided by the powers that determine which species are unique from the Stewart Island Shag. it’s like getting a free bird to add to my list. The nests are just far enough apart to protect them from each other and close enough to protect from outside predators.

Otago Shags on their nests

The main goal of this trip was to see the Northern Royal Albatross. We are taking this trip instead of spending twice the money to be able to view the nesting area through glass for 30 minutes. Looking overhead we quickly spotted one of this largest of the world’s birds. With its wingspan of nearly ten feet, it is a most impressive bird on the wing. Seabirds are especially fun to watch because they mostly soar using the updrafts to keep them aloft while using minimal energy. Albatross tend to soar higher in the sky than many of their small counterparts who spend their days soaring closer to the ocean’s surface using the wind being pushed up by the waves. You can watch brown pelicans use breaking waves along the Pacific Coast of the US. We watched this bird and a mate off and on for the rest of our journey.

Albatross on the wing

Before leaving the bay, we also spent a few minutes with a few New Zealand Fur Seals, an animal that was nearly hunted to extinction for its fur. Protected today, its numbers are slowing increasing.

After rounding Taiaroa Head we passed a nesting area for Royal Spoonbills. We had expected to see this beautiful white wading bird with its spoon-shaped bill in Australia, but missed it there. We did not get real close, but still had some good views of the colony. We then headed out to sea where we caught sight of a Giant Petrel and a White-fronted Albatross. Perhaps a Southern Royal Albatross also, but it was too far away to really identify it for sure. We also saw a fishing boat on its way its way in to port. Unfortunately, this trip was too short to go chasing either the albatross or the fishing boat to see what they might have turned up. Still, it was good value for the money and certainly more interesting than birds through glass.

This is where the spoonbills were nesting

More shags resting on the rocks

One of the hundreds of Red-billed Gulls also nesting here.

We drove back on the other side of Otago Peninsula following some dirt roads along other bays over the central ridge. We passed but did not stop at New Zealand’s only castle, Larnach Castle. Recently saved from neglect, this castle now hosts tour groups, overnighters, conventioneers, and weddings. Another time - we always have more things to do.

Paradise Shelduck with family

Mama Shelduck

Lots of pied stilts

One of the many bays on the peninsula.
Reminds us of Norway without the fjords.

Dinner was at the Gaslight, a French/Italian restaurant decorated with movie artifacts and memorabilia. Music played from the old radios decorating the walls. Two slow moving fans were almost enough to move the air. Food was excellent. I had a steak and Linda had a chicken pasta that provided a nice meal for our host in Bluff. With no microwave in that small hotel, we offered it to her for her dinner while we dined on crackers and cheese.

The next morning we spent a couple of hours in the Toitu Museum. This interesting museum is laid out in a straight line ending with a door leading to the Chinese Garden, something else we saved for our next trip here. The focus is on the time since Europeans arrived, but it still offers a good deal of information on the Maori and their role in the Dunedin story. At the halfway point we passed through the research center and a large room made up to look like a waiting room at the train station. It serves as education/play area for children. We saw several preschool children here and in the rest of the musuem. Some were with parents. Others seemed to be using it as a kind of day care facility. Either way, it’s good to see young children being exposed to their history.

At noon, we headed off to Bluff for the night before crossing Foveaux Strait to Stewarat Island to search for the iconic Kiwi.