In the evening of Feb18 we went on a “Blue Penguin Experience”. Danielle picked us up in a van with other tourists and drove us out to Otago Peninsula. On the way she pointed out many of the local birds that could be seen feeding along the shore. She was a wealth of knowledge about the history, geology and wildlife in the area. We also went to a Marae, a traditional meeting place of the Maori and learned about some of their traditions.
The Blue Penguins Pukekura center has displays about the life cycle of the penguins, video presentations and cute penguin plushy toys you can buy.
The staff does a presentation about the blue penguins and the work being done to preserve them and their habitat, before taking us down to the viewing platform where we wait for penguins making their nightly return to the burrows which hold their nests.
After about a 30 minute wait, the cute little guys began running up the beach and up little paths along side the viewing platform. We were within a few feet of at least 30 penguins as they tip-toed up to their burrows. They would hurry along for a while and then one would just stop in the path, blocking everyone, and might stay there for 10 minutes, looking around, grooming, and just seeming to not notice that many others were stuck until they moved. It was a lot of fun watching them.
The next day we drove ourselves back out to the Otago Peninsula, stopping at some beaches, checking out some small towns and watching for interesting birds. In the afternoon we stopped at Larnach Castle which is one of the most grand private homes built in NZ in the 19th century. William Larnach was an entrepreneur, banker and politician who became very wealthy and then lost it all in the ups and downs of the region. He parlayed family connections into the position of manager of the main bank in Dunedin and quickly acquired large land and farm holdings as well as a timber company. He used his wealth and influence to become one of the most influential politicians in the region and built his grand manor in the early 1870s.
As mentioned earlier, Larnach eventually lost his fortune. He was also about to lose his seat in the NZ Parliament but, he shot himself in the Parliament building, rather than lose his standing. Unfortunate end to one of the shapers of this part of early NZ.
There were numerous art pieces with an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ theme. Overall, the place was very impressive. A grand home built in a part of the world where materials and expertise were difficult to come by.
Next post – Stewart Island, the bottom of NZ.
Wow, who knew New Zealand had such amazing and colorful history?