Day 5 (22-Dec-2009) Otago Peninsula - 130km

Pretty late already and to be honest, I’m feeling quite tired. Must have something to do with the fact that my body has only just managed to recover from the freezing temperatures I’ve had to endure for at least the past 2 hours.

Anyway, not to worry. I’m recovering with my 2^nd cup of tea and I can already say it was well worth the agony, hardship and all that lark Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up not even remembering why I thought I’d not been this cold, ever!

Now, if I look at the total km’s (mileage for those amongst us with no metric understanding), I wonder again at how it is possible to do so many km’s on a peninsula that stretches for only 30, maybe 40 km’s. Also, or should I say “especially”, as part of the afternoon was spent using the alternative transport provided by our tour company. Perhaps we’ll get to the bottom of this rather poignant question during the following analysis of today’s events.

We were up by, I believe, 8 and, following a quick cup of tea/coffee, were in the car to try and find a shop where we could buy and external HD so we’d have a safe way of storing the megatons of footage Q is capturing with his new HD video camera. Mission accomplished so off to the Otago Peninsula.

First port of call: the Albatross colony on the most north-easterly tip of the peninsula. Not seeing much action when we got there, we decided that the best way to have some guaranteed sightings would be to sign up for a guided tour. 12 o’clock was still available so let’s go for that one.

The introductory video and lady guide were very informative and helpful but we were after the real thing. Once actually at the observatory we were afforded with views of 3 nesting Albatrosses. Unfortunately, no aerial happenings as there was still no wind to speak of. Still, no disappointment really because who can actually say they’ve seen a Royal Albatross on its nest?

With another guided tour booked for the afternoon which wasn’t due to commence until 16:15 hrs, we opted for a take-away coffee/tea and decided to visit some of the remote beaches to try and spot some other critters. Beautiful vistas on our drive and we were rewarded with views of some Fur Seals on one of the beaches.

We arrived at our tour pickup point with some time to spare so time for a quick drink. The tour company picked us up at 16:15 hrs sharp and first took us back to the Albatross Centre where we, this time, did have the pleasure of witnessing some fly-by action as wind had picked up slightly and the time to return for the night was neigh upon us. The drive to the Fur Seal colony did take us back across some terrain we’d already covered earlier in the day, but again, with vistas like that, who’s complaining?

At the end of the drive we were taken to a substantial Seal colony with quite a number of pups. Just around the corner from the Seals was a Yellow Eyed Penguin colony. Although very antisocial, on this occasion the creatures decided to play ball and show themselves, one by one. What absolutely gorgeous creatures! There were also a number of chicks that decided to show themselves. The plump little puddings! So cute!

We were dropped off at our car again at around 20:30 hrs and were hoping we’d be able to make it back up to the Albatross Centre in time for the return of the Blue Penguins who have their colony near by. Well, we made it back in more than enough time! By 21:00 hrs we were on the beach, eagerly looking out for some beachings. It wasn’t until nearly 22:00 hrs (just after sunset on this the longest day of the year in the Southern hemisphere – how did we manage to pick this day to go and see the Penguins?) that the 1^st individual of the 1^st group of 3 waves of little Blue Penguins decided it was time to come on shore. The +1 hr wait to see this spectacle in the “freezing” cold was more than worth the wait though! However, Hotel; here we come!