New Zealand South Island (Nov 2010, Part 6)

 Day 11 (Driving to Oamaru)

We woke up to the morning light that pierced through the curtains. A quick wash up and packed our luggage in preparation for our next destination, Oamaru, famous for the blue penguin colony.  We did not prepare any breakfast so it was just some snacks that we still had and off to the car. We made the cash payment for the night stay to the hosts before driving off. We took the same route that we took all the way to the Whistling Café at Chasland, but this time we went beyond Florence Hill lookout point.

At the Nugget Point viewing platform

Our first stop was the iconic Nugget Point Lighthouse overlooking Nugget Point. This place is one of the famous attractions that is a must visit for anyone exploring the Catlins Coast. There was a big car park for visitors to stop their vehicles. The walk to the lighthouse goes through a well maintained and fenced walkway which runs along a steep ridgeline. Both sides were steep drops to the beach fall below. We could hear the sounds of seals down at the bottom on the rocks. The weather wasn’t great this morning and it started to drizzle and subsequent became rain.  

At the viewing platform of Nugget Point

The Catlins coast is well known for its wild weather and we had a taste of it just 2 days being there. One day it was sunny and the next day all dark clouds. It took some effort to reach the lighthouse. At the lighthouse was an unobstructed view of the rocks which were laid like nuggets in the sea. I saw many beautiful photos taken during sunset where the rocks all look golden brown like god nuggets. Too bad today weather was not on our side. With the wind and rain, our cameras were starting to pick up moisture and lens were collecting water droplets. The viewing platform and the lighthouse are both located high above the sea and rocks below, giving you the feeling of being high up on the mountain.

After 20mins of enjoying the weather, we decided to head back to the car park at 11:30am. Managed to snack up a little before driving off looking for lunch at the nearest town. We made a stop at the small coastal village of Owaka, and initially wanted to head to the café there, but it seemed that there were some community function happening and we just left without going in to check the menu.  From here it was all the way straight drive into the bigger town of Balclutha. All of a sudden, we had the feeling of back to civilization. The commercial shops and handy shops dotted the streets in parallel along the main road. We fuelled up our tanks before making to one of the café.

Just nice for a hungry tourist

Bagel and Fries

We were starving and the sight and smell of food really ignited up our appetite. We ordered their breakfast menu even thought it was lunch just because it looked delicious on the menu. And to top that up with a high calorie milkshake.  After finishing up our food, we just sat there in the shop waiting for the food to digest.  The distance to Oamaru was still another 300km from here, but instead  we chose to relax a little in the warm comforts of the café before continue on the road trip.

From here, we continued on highway 1 via Dunedin, the largest city at the southern part of the island. There are lots of places to visit but guess we did not have the time and wouldn’t want to miss the blue penguin show timing. The drive to Dunedin was not too interesting, the road was much heavier since this is the fastest highway to travel from south to north. Lotsa trucks and cars ply along this route both ways. The weather was still gloomy and occasional light rain.

Moeraki Boulders

 
Just before we reached Oamaru, we stopped by the Moeraki Boulders near the little town of Moeraki. The weather was bad, but still there were people at the beach taking pictures in the rain with the rocks. We were one of them. We didn’t stay too long as it was cold and windy and wet at the beach. From the car park, it was just another 20mins to reach the town of Oamaru. Immediately we checked into one of the few new motels back then,  the 391 Oamaru Motor Lodge. The place was new, clean and we big parking space. Oamaru was a small town, and just a 10 mins slow drive we were at the Blue Penguin Colony viewing centre

At the Oamaru Motor Lodge

It was still early and we were told the viewing for the evening will start around 7pm. We walked around the centre , taking pictures, esp. the nice stone penguin sculpture just in front of the centre. The centre has a souvenir shop area and besides offering evening viewing sessions, it has morning walk about of the penguin colony (maybe no penguins as all out to sea to hunt).

Statue just in front of entrance

Oamaru Blue Penguin Visitor Centre

We drove back to town, wanting to look for a Japanese restaurant on the tourist map but just couldn’t find the place even we were sure we went to the right address.  Maybe it has already closed or relocated. In the end, again fast food and I think it was KFC or McDonalds.  Only when it was about time that we drove back to the viewing centre. We were the early batch of visitors there and chose the 1^st row so as to see the little penguins more clearly. Visitors started flowing in and seemed like tour groups from busloads came as well, filling up the seats at the back. Cameras and video cam were not allowed and some people stole a few shots before being told by the staffs not to do it. Camera flashes I understand as not everyone knows how to off their automatic digital camera’s flashes. So a fix rule covers all cameras. But even video cam is not allowed, and this sounded more commercial gains than scaring away the penguins. Maybe I don’t have the scientific knowledge of the reason behind that. Anyway just personal comments and since rules are set, everyone has to respect that. So we waited until the skies started to turn dark. Everyone seated while waiting anxiously for the penguins to return from the sea. When the 1^st few started surveying the landing site at sea some distance away, the crowd started to get excited and making lot of noise, many times the staff had to give hands signals to the visitors to tone down. When people started standing up, it blocked the fellows behind and more and more commotions happened. Some even tried to leave their seats and walk to front which the staffs has to stop them.  We did our research and reviews online and know where to be seated.

After 1^st batch of penguins landed on the beach, the leader will scout the area out, looking for signs of danger and after making sure will then dash across the open area and into the little entry box holes to enter to the nest colony. One by one the rest follow suit. It was really interesting and fun watching these little creatures scuffled across  the open area and into their nests. It was quite on the high season during that time of the year and the number of penguins reached close 100. Initially we assumed the numbers were just like those bigger penguins we saw at Petrified Forest, but the numbers here were stunning.  The last batch never seemed to end and at times a few came from the sea and dashed into their nests. When the tour groups started to leave, it triggered a chain reaction and slowly people started to leave the place. When we walked back to the car park, it was quite dark as the area was near the slopes of a steep hill. When we turned on the headlights, we saw penguins near the bushes in front of us. Obviously some penguins did not take the usual way home and would just come ashore based on their own preference. We managed to video some of these penguins outside the view centre.

While driving out of the centre, we headed onto the only road that led back to town. A short distance away and we saw blue penguins crossing the road and then we saw a dead penguin on the road. It looked like it was just knock down by the earlier group of vehicles, could be cars or buses, another car came along and saw the dead penguin. They took it back to the centre. It was sad to see these little furry creatures got killed on the road. We drove extremely slow along the road leads out of the visitor centre and back to the motel for the night’s rest.

End of Part 6 

Procced on to NZ South Island Part 7