We go down to breakfast and recognise Norman and Stephanie immediately as they are still wearing name badges. We have two Kiwi Light breakfasts, which are delicious. Fruit, muesli, yogurt, cheese and homemade bread. We thought there was a new fruit in the mix but didn't know what it was. On asking Norman, he was slightly embarrassed to say he didn't know as part of the fruit salad mix was out of a tin! Stephanie checked on the tin and found that it was Papaya, which we think is another new fruit, but unsure if it counts if it's not fresh. Seems a bit like cheating.
Norman gives us some directions and instructive advice on where to stop (and where to give a miss) on our way to Dunedin. Leaving Oamaru we see lots of schoolgirls in their uniform - these consist of bulky tartan kilts that came to about mid-calf level. I seem to remember turning my school skirt up if it was too long, but as they walked the kilt swung about them and they didn't seem bothered.
The scenic route to Dunedin hugs the coast and you wind your way along the beaches interspersed with rivers and small wetland areas. The sun is shining and it is rather pleasant as we roll along.
Yet more ducks to ID. We need to get a field guide.
A 'must do' on this route is to stop and visit the Moeriki Boulders, we duly do so. They don't really know what caused them to form in this way, but it makes for an interesting stop that includes a beach walk. What more could you wish for? Did I hear you say coffee and cake? No, that will have to wait until later.
As we walk along the beach Eric thinks he's found the first one. We have to tell him we think they are a little bigger than this.
I still can't see any of those boulder things.
Some of the boulders are in groups, others set apart. Once he realised, Eric decided to leapfrog across the tops.
There are one or two that are broken open,
and one has a rock pool in it - one of these would be stunning in the garden.
Thought that this one looked like some kind of alien or dinosaur egg cracking open and about to release something terrible upon the world.
Well this one looks like a football so let's have a kick-about.
As you can tell we could have had hours of fun here, but have to move on.
A comfort break becomes a necessity - but at least their public toilets are highly visible.
They also happened to be adjacent to a bay where there were some Pied Oystercatcher and some Tern.
Pass through Waikuoiti and Karitane to a lookout for a view back over the township bays.
Now it's back into the main highway until we see the turn off for the Orokanui Eco Sanctuary.
We wend our way down Blueskin Road, dropping down to a bay with a huge marshland and large bar at the entrance. The tide is part way out but we see very little evidence of birdlife here.
Back up the hill again gives us an overview of where we'd been but from the other side.
We reach the Eco Sanctuary about lunchtime, which is very convenient as they have a cafe there overlooking the reserve. Rabbit pie for the meat eaters - doing their bit for the conservation effort as rabbit is a pest here, so now there is one less to worry about. Also a new drink - Sparkling Rhubarb and Elderflower (they seem to really like their in rhubarb in NZ.)
Eric said it was scrumptious.
Wrap up warm for our walk around the reserve. The whole area is surrounded by a predator proof fence.
It cost $2 million to erect, is 5 miles long and has to be inspected twice a week to ensure there are no breaks in it.
We have to have a code to enter, and check our bags for mice!
To make a change from birds - we saw some Skink and some Tuatara.
This is the tuatara
Out of the wind the sun was warm and we sat (in between rambling) watching the Tui and Bellbirds.
We could hear lots of others but they were very shy, flitting past us so quickly we had no chance to really see what they were. There were Kaka there (a type of parrot) and we could see trees that they had stripped bits of bark off but no actual sightings of the creatures themselves. There are also Saddleback birds on the reserve, and whilst we would have liked to have spotted these, the walk was about 3h and you had to descend 300m down to sea-level and then return. Hence we opted for a more gentle amble around the native bush. There were ferns, tree ferns, clematis and lichens as well as native shrubs and trees.
The Takahe was rather splendid.
They have Maori carvings guarding over some of the special places.
Just below the cafe they have a rather pleasant boardwalk area with native plantings.
Travelling on we drop down into Port Chalmers, and can see the Otago Peninsula on the other side of the bay.
Finally reach Dunedin and book into the accommodation. Two German guests are booking in at the same time, so we sit down and have a cup of tea together.
Although we saw the Albatross at Kaikoura we decide that we will take the high road along the Otago Peninsula to the lighthouse and Royal Albatross colony at the end. You have to pay lots of money to go and see them so we content ourselves with the views instead.
Eric sits on the lookout trying not to get blown away or pooped on by the hundreds of Red-billed gulls nesting here. The smell is pretty powerful!
Return to Dunedin along the low road and a pizza restaurant overlooking St. Clairs Beach.
