I didn’t think it could get any more beautiful, but it has. We spent a rainy day on Steward Island after which we headed east from Invercargill on the scenic route passing through farmland, rolling hills, thick bush, pristine pine forest, shallow tidal inlets and rocky coastal cliff areas. This isolated area seems untouched other than by a limited number of car and caravan travelers stopping off at the numerous viewing points and short walk areas along the way. Eventually, we hit the east coast of the South Island and, in our case, headed north toward the city of Dunedin, a relatively small college town of Scottish origin spread over numerous hills with stunning bay views. It is an old city with lots of historic buildings which have been beautifully maintained and/or restored. We are staying one such city building which has been beautifully appointed as a Parisian pied a terre. From Paul’s perspective, the best part about the place is that it is right uphill from the historic Speight’s Brewery. For me, I like that it is centrally located and situated right uphill from the City Cinema.
Today, we headed east out of the city on a beautiful winding coastal road overlooking the bay on Otago Peninsula. We drove from one sleepy bayside hamlet to another while watching various seabirds swoop down across the water ending at Taiaroa Head; a historic sea cliffside where the world’s only mainland Royal Albatross Breeding Colony is located. We learned about this mammoth seabird whose wingspan is a magnificent 10 feet and who spend the majority of their life at sea other than during their breeding season. They mate for life and the male arrives at the breeding site first to build the nest. They don’t breed until they are eight years old but continue to breed every other year for about 25 years. They lay one egg that weights a pound and takes up to 11 weeks to hatch, one of the longest incubation periods of any bird, and it takes the chick three to six days to emerge from the egg. Males and the females equitably share incubation along with the care and feeding of the chicks until the chicks fledge at eight months, when they fly to Chile where they remain for four to five years before making their way back to their nesting place. Here they commence an elaborate courtship ritual to secure a mate after which time it takes them several more years to breed. Their colony numbers are quite limited with 260 birds, 60 pairs and only around 30 eggs/chicks making it to fledging each year.
We also took a city tour, visited the historic train station and did a little shopping here in Dunedin. I was lucky enough to hook up with several area weavers who will be great teachers on our next visit to New Zealand during which Paul plans to head into the bush for multi-day tramping. Finally, we will make several stops heading north to Christchurch which, sadly, is our last and final stop in New Zealand. Next up is southern Australia where we will spend the remainder of our time before heading back to the states April 1st. Hope you have enjoyed this little arm chair tour thru New Zealand while tackling the long hard winter in NE South Dakota. 2019