In the morning, we did a quick walk around Dunedin Botanic Gardens. Just like all the other botanic gardens in New Zealand, this place was free to enter and there were many volunteers beginning spring planting while we were there. They also have a bird rehabilitation center on the grounds and it was cool to see some of the native birds of New Zealand up close. One bird made friends with Karel as you can see in the photos :)
Larnach Castle was a bit of a tourist trap but still very beautiful. The castle used to belong to a rich banker, but a family bought the house in the 60's and has been restoring it ever since. While we were there, there was restoration work going on too, so the house is far from done.
We left the castle and a narrow winding road led us to the Royal Albatross Centre at the end of the Otago Peninsula. The parking lot was swarming with seagulls and one even landed on our sunroof! We did not get to see albatross but we hung around until the penguin tour just after sunset.
We were advised not to use flash photograph so the penguins wouldn't be scared, but the deck we were standing on had a few lights shining out across the beach. They look like little aliens but I swear they're penguins! We got to see about a dozen or so that night and it was really neat to witness their nightly routine. New Zealand's penguins are all under threat at the moment because of mammals like cats, dogs, and ferrets and human activities. These little blue penguins or Korora are doing much better and scientists are continuing to study their behavior to find new ways to help them and other species thrive.
Comentarios