Dunedin to Oamaru

 Around here (Otago) somewhere, there are Yellow-eyed penguins. Harder to find these days. I was now now headed north toward Oamaru... another penguin hotspot. Before that though, a quick stop to see the famous, but a bit more damaged these days, Moeraki boulders.

Ridiculously big spherical geodes, found on the beach at Moeraki - which is the middle of nowhere, kinda! It was easy enough to park and walk 5 minutes down the beach to find them. In the wee hours, it was just me and one other couple. And that couple lasted as long as it took to take a selfie, before walking away, leaving me to explore alone.

Later that morning, in Oamaru, I found a beautiful beach littered with lazy fur seals and I sat with them for an hour as they yawned or dragged themselves out into the kelp for some play time. This place was where I'd come back to at sunset for a possible penguin adventure too. The beach closes at 3pm and all viewing is done from high on the cliffs though.

I had enough time to figure out the town waste management place that offered potable and non-potable water for vans and I refilled mine so that washing dishes and taking sponge baths was back on the table as I camped. After a bit of food prep, and a decent meal, I found myself with 4 others, waiting and watching for any ol' penguin to emerge from the waves. Alas no. (But when you later discover that only 6 penguins call this beach home, it's easy to understand why penguin disappointment is easier to find than a real penguin!)

Did I want acutal brick and mortar accommodation tonight? Not so much. I once again opted for a more natural setting and near Kurow I fell asleep in my van, watching stars twinkle above. I only had a couple more nights like this...  It was already starting to feel bittersweet.

Otago Peninsula

I arrived yesterday afternoon, through pouring rain from Milford Sound. Sylvia was my Airbnb host and luckily for me, she was as happy for my company as I was for hers, so we played scrabble and drank elderflower tea all evening. I'll always remember her as the lady who cared enough to try and fix my cough, taught me how to Wordle and had the most encouraging words on finding love and happiness later in life. 

The view from her living room out over Otago Peninsula was nothing to sneeze at either!

Pity she is about to be overshadowed. LOL  Because today my heart and lens were to be filled with glorious wildlife experiences and honestly there is nothing I like more!

Driving out to the far reaches of Otago Peninsula, I went in search of Sandfly Bay. Here, rumor had it, was the place to find sealions. And I did!

The trail down the cliff and over the dunes is breathtaking. And worth it. Before I even reached the bottom there was a lazy sealion sleeping in the middle of my path, causing detours. On the beach 2 younger (or 2 females?) were cavorting. A photographers dream.

The arrival of an older male made it even better. So I spent another hour just "being" and watching them.

I had booked a Little Blue penguin tour for the after-dark portion of today and this afternoon went looking for where the meeting point would be later. Turns out it meets at the same place you'd go for a Royal Albatross experience ... so I booked that for 6pm. (Note: Albatross' with their giant wing span are more active when the wind kicks up and that is later in the day.)

Just enough time to go in search of cell reception and get my daily call with Scott! :-)

No sooner had I hung up from that call, parked randomly on the side of the bay, when a lady pulled up in her car and began tooting the horn to get my attention. She told that my van gave me away as a tourist and as such, she thought I might want to see the WHALE that was out there!!! Yes Ma'am!!!

I grabbed my big lens and pointed in the direction she said it was moving. Before long, the sound of tail-slapping got my attention and low and behold; evidence of an orca was intermittant. What was pure luck was the very second I had my camera focused out there, the orca breached and I shot one of my more priceless series of pictures. I was giddy with joy!

It was hard to believe my day could or would get any better but off I went to the head of the peninsular to learn about the albatross and the little blue penguin... and my day did get better.

Who doesnt love the sight of a penguin emerging from the ocean and waddling up the bank? They are adorable!

I drove out of Dunedin at 10:30pm, climbing the hills in dense fog and eventually unable to drive any further, coming to a rest at what I thought was a quiet parking area just off the highway. Turns out I slept at the bus stop for the Evansdale Cheese Factory! Whatever!

Milford Sound... One of my favorites!

 The original loosey-goosey plan was for me to toddle about in Queenstown today and leisurely make my way to Milford Sound tomorrow. You'll know by now that I have developed a great deal of trust and respect for my weather app though, so when it informed me that Milford today would be ok, but Milford Sound tomorrow would be abysmal, I changed things up.

342km and more than 5 hours later, I had traveled the scenic roads from Wanaka to Milford Sound. Along the way stopping to photograph all the interesting things I could.

I had even picked up a Californian hitchhiker 45 mins out of Te Anau and driven her to her hotel - grateful for the break from my well-worn Spotify playlist and the chit-chat we had.

I remembered the tunnel going to Milford, Homer Tunnel, from my last visit in 1993. But I guess in my mind I figured it would be different this time. Less ...rustic? Nope. Still one lane with a steep descent through a mountain. Still feels like you're entering a mineshaft! Water runs through it, it's dark and closed in feeling. Today was no exception. But it was also busy. Lots of other vehicles, including tour buses.

Making my way through, and slowly descended into Milford, the day was nice and the landscape was dramatic. My happy place.

Once there I poked around a bit, taking my time and absorbing that Milford-Miter Peak energy that I love. 

At 8:30pm, as I was on my way out, something caught my eye. Remember how I said I tried to find the rare and elusive white heron on the west coast a couple of days ago? Well, there was ONE pottering around in the bay after sunset! About 100-120 white herons call NZ home.  After mating season, they disburse a bit and it is more common to find a single bird feeding in shallow water than a flock. That's what I was seeing, and the fading light, I did my best with a 600mm zoom to capture this fortuitous find!

Then I hightailed it back up the winding narrow road and through the Homer Tunnel (which was empty now) and found myself a parking lot where the Routeburn Track begins. In the dark I was able to creep in beside a dozen other van-like vehicles, use a real bathroom and call it a night. 

What a long day! 

Oh and guess what? At 3am I woke to LOUD torrential rain on the roof of my van. Just as the weather app had predicted; the weather was taking a seriously negative turn overnight and had I waited one more day to see Milford Sound, I would not have seen it at all!