As I sat in a little mini-bus traveling my way out to the tip of the Otago Peninsula (an extension of Dunedin, and the town of “Portobello”,) I was envisioning the pleasure of enduring this same journey via bicycle or kayak… the water of the harbor was still as glass, which reflected the boat sheds picture-perfect. The little two-lane road that winds its way to the end of the peninsula allows for a very enjoyable mini road-trip… as its shoulder is not so existent, nor forgiving – it will pretty much dump you into the harbor if you miss the curve! Thrilling! ;)
At the end of the peninsula is the Royal Albatross colony – it is so fascinating to sit on the edge of the grassy cliff, enjoying a ginger beer, and have a seagull-looking bird with a 3m (6+ft!) wing-span fly overhead! It was a special treat to spot one, on multiple draft cycles – as these are glider birds, and they need the wind to fly (they don’t really have the wing hinging system to do as much flapping as your average bird!) – and there was next to no wind this particular day. The conservation center at the top of the peninsula had a camera overlooking a baby albatross’ nest, and its furry little self was just chilling there – they can’t fly when they’re first born, so they have to wait for their mama to bring them food. I was relieved to know that people are actually working to protect these soon-to-be monster-size birds from being disturbed. J
This was only the beginning, as I traveled over dirt roads and around a very shallow lagoon (filled with kekaus (dark blue birds w/bright orange beaks,) harriers (predator birds, like hawks,) geese, kingfishers (small, striking little birds with teal wings) and pied-stilts) to the other side of the peninsula, to a local man’s property. His large sheep & cow farm sits atop a grassy point that is absolutely breathtaking. With deserted beach coves and rocky tide pools settled on each side below, it is a gem. Opening and closing several chained gates (to keep the farm animals in the right spot,) we worked our way down the steep grassy tiers to a steep gravel staircase that led down to the edge of the rocks and tide pools on one side… and there were tons of baby and mama fur seals camped out. Some of the young seals were playing in one of the deeper tide pools – floating on their backs and spinning around past one another. An adorable baby was nursing right in front of me… and became a little timid when it recognized that it was being watched… speaking gently to it, it cried back, along with its mom and a few from the colony. We slowly retreated, as to keep things calm and not make the seals too nervous. What’s amazing here is that the waves are crashing with such a strong force, that they often times sweep away some of the little ones… talk about a cold, rough life!
Hiking back up to the top of the point and then down the other side to the beach, we arrived to the sand just before sunset. I had my first chance ever to spend time observing sea lions up close & personal in the wild. I’ve seen them in the wild – but never playing around and chilling on the beach, nor chasing me back at points! The males are MASSIVE!!!! – they could easily flatten me! There were only a couple females and about six males on the beach and in the natural dunes at the back. Two males were teamed up chasing one of the females around – she was not too happy about this (and I don’t blame her!) They’d bite, bark, chase, roll, pin… time and time again. Many times we had to move over or retreat rather quickly to avoid getting caught in the middle of the chase! They were getting a kick out of having us for a visit… they kept looking over, and at moments would ‘speak’, confront or follow us!
As if this experience wasn’t already fascinating enough, the yellow-eyed penguins were making their way out of the water and onto the steep, grassy cliff-side at the end of the beach! Hiding out in a little cove to watch them (as they’re very shy) we watched at least 10 or 11 of them, most often in pairs, waddle their way from the water… too frickin’ adorable for words!!
The blue penguins in this area couldn’t be seen, as they hide out until nightfall. They were hiding in their little sand-dug coves right beside where we walked!
To top off this amazing wildlife encounter, we were able to enjoy this beach cove throughout sunset… the pink clouds, crashing waves and ¾ moon were phenomenal!
At the end of the peninsula is the Royal Albatross colony – it is so fascinating to sit on the edge of the grassy cliff, enjoying a ginger beer, and have a seagull-looking bird with a 3m (6+ft!) wing-span fly overhead! It was a special treat to spot one, on multiple draft cycles – as these are glider birds, and they need the wind to fly (they don’t really have the wing hinging system to do as much flapping as your average bird!) – and there was next to no wind this particular day. The conservation center at the top of the peninsula had a camera overlooking a baby albatross’ nest, and its furry little self was just chilling there – they can’t fly when they’re first born, so they have to wait for their mama to bring them food. I was relieved to know that people are actually working to protect these soon-to-be monster-size birds from being disturbed. J
This was only the beginning, as I traveled over dirt roads and around a very shallow lagoon (filled with kekaus (dark blue birds w/bright orange beaks,) harriers (predator birds, like hawks,) geese, kingfishers (small, striking little birds with teal wings) and pied-stilts) to the other side of the peninsula, to a local man’s property. His large sheep & cow farm sits atop a grassy point that is absolutely breathtaking. With deserted beach coves and rocky tide pools settled on each side below, it is a gem. Opening and closing several chained gates (to keep the farm animals in the right spot,) we worked our way down the steep grassy tiers to a steep gravel staircase that led down to the edge of the rocks and tide pools on one side… and there were tons of baby and mama fur seals camped out. Some of the young seals were playing in one of the deeper tide pools – floating on their backs and spinning around past one another. An adorable baby was nursing right in front of me… and became a little timid when it recognized that it was being watched… speaking gently to it, it cried back, along with its mom and a few from the colony. We slowly retreated, as to keep things calm and not make the seals too nervous. What’s amazing here is that the waves are crashing with such a strong force, that they often times sweep away some of the little ones… talk about a cold, rough life!
Hiking back up to the top of the point and then down the other side to the beach, we arrived to the sand just before sunset. I had my first chance ever to spend time observing sea lions up close & personal in the wild. I’ve seen them in the wild – but never playing around and chilling on the beach, nor chasing me back at points! The males are MASSIVE!!!! – they could easily flatten me! There were only a couple females and about six males on the beach and in the natural dunes at the back. Two males were teamed up chasing one of the females around – she was not too happy about this (and I don’t blame her!) They’d bite, bark, chase, roll, pin… time and time again. Many times we had to move over or retreat rather quickly to avoid getting caught in the middle of the chase! They were getting a kick out of having us for a visit… they kept looking over, and at moments would ‘speak’, confront or follow us!
As if this experience wasn’t already fascinating enough, the yellow-eyed penguins were making their way out of the water and onto the steep, grassy cliff-side at the end of the beach! Hiding out in a little cove to watch them (as they’re very shy) we watched at least 10 or 11 of them, most often in pairs, waddle their way from the water… too frickin’ adorable for words!!
The blue penguins in this area couldn’t be seen, as they hide out until nightfall. They were hiding in their little sand-dug coves right beside where we walked!
To top off this amazing wildlife encounter, we were able to enjoy this beach cove throughout sunset… the pink clouds, crashing waves and ¾ moon were phenomenal!
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