A fool's journey

Wednesday February 28 and back in Oamaru

Hoping to go see the little penguins again tonight. Didn't get to town in time for the cheese factory, oh well. I jumped off the bus today at the Moeraki boulders. Big round boulders emerging from the hillside and scattered in the surf. Very strange to see. They are large and round. Officially concretions. Formed over millions of years.

Catching up . . .

last Saturday, February 24th, headed for Dunedin, to the south, since they did end up having room for me at Hogwartz. The bus stop is right behind the Cadbury factory. So it seems a happy place - smells good - like vanilla, and roasted nuts. Plus, "the pride of the South" - Speight's is brewed there in town - it has a beer barrel on top of its smoke stack.

A Scots town. Hilly and green. Found shortbread in the local grocery store bakery - made with butter.

Lots of folks visiting here from Europe. So am getting good pointers for future trips there.
Note to self: when visiting Holland (on trip that includes Amsterdam), be sure to get away from there to see the real Dutch life - go up the Rhine to Utrecht.

Sunday February 25
Day trip - Taieri Gorge train. A sunny day. Dramatic clouds - due to strong winds up high? And had time for the Otago Settler's Museum after. Grilled lamb shoulder for dinner.

Monday February 26
Otago Musem = was excellent. Even better than Te Papa. Lots on animals, including extinct Moa (big flightless birds - hunted to extinction by Maori and thier dogs about 300 years ago).

Also visited the worlds steepest street - Baldwin.

And tried a new item on the taste list = Pinkey Winkey ice cream. Quite good actually - a subtle combination - a base of strawberry, with small chips of chocolate, and swirls of marshmallow and caramel.

Tuesday February 27
Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Olveston Historic House (like going in a time machine back to 1909), and the factory tours - both Cadbury's chocolate factory and Speight's brewery. Yes, free samples. Chocolate before beer worked out great. We got to pull our own from the six taps available. All tanker beers - which means they were never kegged or bottled. The freshest and least processed way to get it. Kept at naught centigrade and required to be consumed within two weeks of brewing. I liked the Speight's Ale the best. I made it home just fine. Hard to know which is better - Speight's or Tui, without a side-by-side taste test. Both are excellent.

Which brings us all up-to-date. To February 28th, back here in Oamaru.

Heading up to Mt Cook tomorrow.

posted by Evan @ 10:20 PM

Little Blue Fairy Penguins

Saw them come ashore last night, after dusk. After 9 pm. A small group of four at first. Then some quacking, and a larger group. They come back to feed their chicks. After swimming out 40 kilometers. Diving to a depth of 120 meters to fish.

They are unbelieveably small. Bigger than a robin. About the size of a large woodpecker. A few pounds. They are cute. They waddle. They are so small, it is hard to believe they are waddling around.

And thier full crops give a little bulge under thier bibs.

When they come ashore, they are bobbed around by the waves, before getting a belly-hold on the rocks. Then they flop down and rest. Or stand with their wings out - cooling off. This is the furthest north that there is an active colony at this time. Then they climb the rocks. They have sea legs, because even when they get on even ground, they stumble around a bit. And when crossing a pebbled area, they seem to have tender toes (teetering, and not going in a straight line or at a steady pace). Maybe they are looking for that special pebble, not to collect like me, but for grinding theur food (no teeth for that).

All the chicks are almost full sized now. Some have adult feathers and are ready to go out and swim. Others are still fluffy and fuzzy. Only food is that given by a parent upon return from fishing - sometimes as long as a week.

I saw one depart last night. Turns out, it was a young one, going out for his first fishing trip. Had its adult feathers. Got tired of waiting for a parent to return. So off it went. It is amazing that they all have such a sense of direction. To come out of the water exactly where their colony lives.

No pictures were allowed, as it would disturb them in the dark.

Earlier, I did get a picture of a yellow-eyed penguin. Conveneintly, they return at an ealier time, before dusk, although at a different beach. Luckily I had just enought time to walk between.

One yellow-eyed penguin was close enough for a portrait - he climbed the cliff, and was cooling off in the breeze at the top of the hill, and preening (molting really - pulling off old feathers).

All others yellow-eyed penguins were way down on the beach. Saw about six in all.

And the fairy blues? Over 100 came ashore, and in addition, I saw about a dozen chicks (all in pairs). Plus the one guy who left. And then on the walk home, saw a couple dozen more. One walked by less than two feet away. So cute!

posted by Evan @ 1:58 PM

Friday February 23 here in Oamaru

Going to see the blue fairy penguins tonight, as they come back to their nests after feeding all day. About 9 pm. Rare yellow-eyed ones will return at about 7 pm. So I hope to see lots. And this is one of the best times, as there are chicks.

Catching up from last post in Wellington. . .
Got to see the rest of the Te Papa Museum, including the Egyptian mummy. And the Wellington Museum (City & Sea).

Tuesday February 20th - Crossing Cook Straight was beautiful. Sunny day, very little swell. Three hours riding on the deck up front. A ship really - much larger than our Puget Sound ferries. Used for cargo here, including big rigs.

Stay in Picton, at the Sequoia Lodge (found my way home by noticing the Sequoia accross the street in the park). Tried my hand at "barbie" (=BBQ). Venison, rare, with corn on the cob.

Wednesday February 21 = go to Kaikoura. For the whales. See three male sperm whales. And my favorite - hundreds of Dusky Dolphins. With perhaps some small babies, or else a few Hector Dolphins thrown in. Very playful, and aerobatic.

Food report = finally found some groper (fish). Nice flavor. Fresh. Nice walk on stony beach after dinner.

Thurday February 22 = crayfish for breakfast, down at the beach. A crayfish here is a sea creature, as big as a lobster, without claws.

See lots of NZ Fur seals basking on rocks as the bus goes by the beaches on the way to Christchurch.

Visit the Cathederal, and get about an hour in at the Canterbury Museum - get to see the excellent Maori exhibit.

Korean Squid for dinner, and a few chess games after, inspired by the large set in the square.

Which brings me up to date = Friday February 23.

Off to explore, before the penguins.

posted by Evan @ 5:20 PM

Sunday (here in Wellington), February 18th

Ferries, even for walk-ons are very full, so cannot go to South Island until Tuesday. Bus people got me a space Wednesday morning, but I found a different carrier (Blue Bridge), that had an opening. A three hour plus trip to Picton. Should be nice.

Today, saw some of the National Museum here (Te Papa). The rest tomorrow, plus plans to see the Museum of Wellington - City & Sea.

Bus stopped off in Palmerston North on the trip down, so I did get to see the Maori exhibit there. Will not have to stop on the trip back north.

Last post was upon arrival in Turangi. After that saw the stars here for the first time. Because it was clear for the first time, and it was very very dark there. I think I have seen the Southern Cross, but I am not sure.

Food report: rack of lamb, kangaroo tenderloin, meat pies, venison tenderloin, and last night, green-lipped mussels. And hokey-pokey ice cream (Tip Top brand) - it has brickle chips in it. And the recommended NZ beer - Tui - an East Indian Pale Ale - excellent.

Turangi was a resting place. Turns out to also be one of the best trout fishing places. A fellow from Pennsylvania caught one and cooked it up for lunch. 21 inches long.

Thusday Feb 15 = Tongariro Crossing - a 17 km tramp (hike), that goes by many volcanic craters. A few are small alpine lakes now - most impressive were Emerals Lakes - very green. Ended up in National Park Village - really geared for winter skiers. Only one bus out per day.

Friday Feb 16 = to Whanganui. Very nice place. Mouth of the river. Nice town.

Saturday Feb 17 = walk to Bushy Park to see the strangler tree (Rata). Took a bit over 4 hours to get there. Got back to town in time to visit the museum (tatoo chisels were most impressive), and to climb the memorial tower (from the 1914-1918 war - erected in 1925 - and not yet known as the First World War). This area lost over 500 soldiers.

Which brings us to today, and Wellington. Cuba Street for dinner is planned.

posted by Evan @ 10:45 PM

Turangi - Tuesday February 13th

Just south of Lake Taupo. huge, beatiful, blue. Is summer here. Is the couldron of an old volcano.

Did make it to Waitomo for the glowworm caves. Limestone caves. And now that I saw them, I believe the tip of their tail does glow. So I no longer believe the poop story. Some people will believe anything. They do drop down "fishing" lines. This is how they catch a meal - other bugs that are attracted to their glowing tail. All together they looked like green stars twinkling on the roof of the cave.

And then made it Rotorua. Major thermal area. Smells like fireworks - sulfur. Took a dip in the mineral pool - 40 degrees C. Ahhh. This was after enjoying a Maori feast - hangi - which is food steamed underground. Included kumura - which is a sweet potato. Also lots of culture shared - welcome ceremony - dancing - singing - and warrior exercises. nice tatoos. And flickering of tounges and bulging of eyes. Glow worms in the forrest too.

On Monday, did make it to the 100 year old Redwoods (at the northern part of Whakarewarewa Forest). Yes, the trees are from California. Not natives. They have girth. But not as tall as I expected. May not get those coastal fogs that they need, since this is the mddle of the island.

Also went to the termal area - Te Puia. Saw the big geyser - Pohutu - as well as a few smaller ones. While waiting, I sat on the gound - and at one point - it got too hot. Baking hot.

Saw my first live kiwi bird. Big eyes. Long beak. No neck. Nostrils at the tip of the beak. Since they are nocturnal, I saw them in a hut where they light it inside at night, and then let people go in during the day when the lights are dim like moonlight.

Also went to Waitapu thermal area - saw many colored hot pools and mud pots. Including Champagne Pool, and my favorite - a bright yellow - Devil's Bath.

Stayed in Taupo last night. Went to Huka Falls this morning. Foaming. Clear green water.

Next stop - Craters of the Moon. A steaming thermal area.

And a walk around part of Lake Taupo.

Head for some mountain walks next. Tongariro.

Nite.

posted by Evan @ 11:45 PM

Back in Auckland for Saturday February 10th

After going to Northland.

Paihia was my base up there.
Made it to the Waitangi Traty grounds for Waitangi Day on the 6th (National Holiday here). Maori singing, dancing, and food. Carving at treaty/meeting house was my favorite.

Then the rains started. Got soaked. Warm hard sideways driving rain.

The next day, got typhooned out of my snorkeling on the 7th - too rough for the boat to go. A quiet day. Read guide books and planned my routes.

Next day, I was planning to go on the boat, but it started to rain, so changed plans. New goal was to go see the biggest Kauri tree. Thought it was a 60 km day trip. It took 12 hours and 260 km. No buses available, since it is so remote. I saw the tree, and the second largest, and a group of four called the Four Sisters.

Snorkelled the next day off of Urupukapuka Island - Zane Grey's old Marlin fishing base camp. No porpises for me. Did some hikes to see old Maori sites there. Earthenworks defenses remain. Stopped off at Russell on the way back - an old Whaling town.

Summer weather was back today - sunny. But now is thunder and raining.

Notice, I go by "next day". Lost track when lost a day to the dateline. Plus jet lag confusion. Now I know it is Saturday evening. Off to Ponsonby area for dinner.

Then go to Rotorura tomorrow, with a stop off at Waitmo Caves to see the glow worms (the really are larvae and they do not glow - but their poop does - go figure.

posted by Evan @ 8:34 PM

Arrived in Auckland
on Monday February 5th at 11 am or so.
But to those at Pacific Standard time, the time here is 1 day ahead and three hours behind.

So plane departure from Portland to plane arrival in Auckland was about 24 hours.

Staying in Auckland tonight. Then heading north. Taking wet suit because there are some places up thee that look promising.

Fiji was warm and humid, after a downpour.

Seems nice here so far. People are helpful.
Got cash. Got a phone card for New Zealand calls. Got a room for the night.
And have information on buses, trains, ferries. And a possible plane hop one-way to or from the South Island (Christchurch or Queenstown).

posted by Evan @ 6:11 PM