I had a a nice lie-in and got up at 8am. It was a light cloud-cover and almost windless. I were supposed to take the bus to Dunedin, but Kevin had a day off from his guiding work today and he always get to Dunedin for business things and meeting friends. He insisted to show me the southern part of the peninsula in general and the Sandfly Bay in particular and the drive me to the bus station in Dunedin. The road along the ridge of the peninsula offered great views and we soon reached Sandfly Bay, which mainly is known as a resting place for New Zealand Sea Lions, and of course shifting sand. There were six Sea Lions on the beach, of which two were huge males. Pat one of these on the cheek were certainly not the first that crossed my mind, but they were majestetic indeed. We also saw tracks of several Yellow-eyed Penguins in the sand. Kevin and I had a good time together and he finally dropped me at the bus station in Dunedin. Unfortunately, I didn´t have time to visit the museum, but one can't do everything, but enjouy the moments that occur.
The bus-ride from Dunedin to Te Anau in the western part took 4 1/5 hours and offered a great scenary. Te Anau and Lake Te Anau with all the surrounding mountain ridges were just breathtaking and beautiful in a dramatic way. One just have to sit down on the shore and try to absorb it. I did some shopping for my 4-day tramping on Kepler track that I start tomorrow morning. I have re-packed and stored half of my things at the accommodation place. So, now I am ready to do one of the great walks!
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| A Bellbird on Flax, while I enjoyed my breakfast. Its flute-like song reminds much of the European Golden Oriole, but even more lovely. |
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| Nice view of the southern part of the Otago peninsula. |
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| Kevin at Sandfly Bay. He work as a guide within the penguin reserve. |
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| An imposing New Zealand Sea Lion at Sandfly Bay. |
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| A beautiful black morph of Variable Oystercatcher. |
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| After thousands of Red-billed Gulls along the coast it was nice to see hundreds of Black-billed Gulls for a change, during the travel inland and at Lake Te Anau. |
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| View at Lake Te Anau towards north in the evening! |
1 comment:
Thanks for the nice photos. We are a group of four couples looking for accommodation in Otago Peninsula coming November. Not sure how Penguin Place Lodge compares with other motels or B &B. Is it clean? Will it be very crowded with backpackers, and inconvenienced by shared bathroom and all?
We are attracted by the vicinity of the lodge to wild life but a bit concerned with its 'basic' condition. Can you advise please?
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