Rich Penguins, God's Bowling Balls on the Beach, Giant Lesbian Birds, Sea Lions on the Beach...and then it got Weird

Our original plans for this weekend were to spend it with some friends at their "bach" (vacation house) on Charlotte's Sound on the very northern tip of the South Island.  Those plans were changed when the weather report showed Cyclone Luci barreling down from the north and scheduled to hit Christchurch on Saturday night.  That would have given us a very bad day in the north, and a very bad 5-hour drive to get home in driving rain.  So, we opted to head south to the Otago Peninsula, about 200 miles down the coast, just out from Dunedin.  A good decision for a lot of reasons--not the least of which was the two best days of weather we've had all trip.  We are now back in Christchurch, waiting for Luci to hit with gale force winds and lots of rain.

We took our time on the way to Otago, stopping off to take pictures and see any sights than looked interesting.  First stop was Oamaru, to see the famous colony of Blue Penguins in residence there.  We went up to the counter to buy tickets to learn that the penguins can be viewed only two times a day--once in the morning as they head to sea to fish, and again around dusk when they come back for the night.  We were there in mid-day, so had no chance to see them.  However, we learned that it cost $29 each for "regular" viewing seats (think Fenway Bleachers to home plate from the birds) and $40 each for "Premium" seats (think one row behind the dugout) to see them waddle about 30 feet away. We think there was a "Private Viewing" ticket for $100 each that would have allowed us to get autographs.  And, no pictures allowed from any viewing area--apparently something about the birds' contracts and licensing rights, we guessed.  Luckily we weren't going to be there when they came out of the water, so it was an easy decision to get in the car and head down the road.

Shortly after that we stopped in Moeraki to see the strange Moeraki Boulders that are piled up on the beach.

There are about 50 of them, in a very short area of beach--the only place they are known in the world. Maori legend has it that they were ballast tossed from one of the Big Canoes during a storm and then washed up on the beach.  Pakhea (white guy) legend is that they are gutter balls from God's bowling alley.  They are eerily perfectly round--Mike's first guess was that they were formed by volcanic activity and heaved up by the sea to the shore.  Turns out they were formed inland and underground millions of years ago by something called 'concretion'--microorganisms sticking together to form the balls.  So, they actually fall from the cliffs above the beach when enough soil around them gives way.

What we hoped to be the highlight of the tour was exactly that.  We visited the Royal Albatross Center at the very far tip of the peninsula.  The center has been in operation for about 80 years, started by a local science teacher who wanted to protect the giant birds' eggs and chicks from any number of predators, including humans.  The Royal Albatross is the second largest bird in the world--an adult's wingspan will be more than 11 feet, with its head the size of a cantaloup.  Today the center is home to about 250 birds, only one of two places the birds nest in the world.  This year they have about 28 active nests.  The scientists there have ID'd and tagged every bird and keep meticulous records of all bird behavior.  One bird, apptly named "Grandma" lived to be over 60 years before going missing in the 1980s.

From the time a chick is born until it "fledges" (flies away the first time), the parents share the two main parental duties of keeping it safe in the nest and providing food.  One parent stays while the other heads to sea to bring back food.  This is no simple task, because at some point the chick will consume over 4 pounds of food daily.

We got a rare treat to see one male bird returning from his fishing trip and flying around the nesting area a couple times.

While this might not look impressive, this guy (we were told it was a male) was about 100 yards away when Mike took the picture and his wing span is the full 11 feet of an adult bird.

This year for the first time they have observed a pair of females sharing the care and feeding of a single egg, which is now a chick about 4 months old.  It would appear that these two birds have taken advantage of New Zealand's recent open marriage laws and are raising the chick together as a couple.  The tour guides call them "The girls" and have declared them the first and only lesbian bird couple known.

Later that day we took a riding tour up and over the crest of the peninsula, getting some spectacular views of the ocean and harbor, depending on the specific vantage point.  This is Sandfly Beach way below.

Later we went to Allan's Beach, a bit East of Sandfly, to do some walking and for Terry to test out the local shelling.

While Terry was shelling we came up on three different Sea Lions basking on the warm beach, and we heeded the warnings to stay away at least 30 feet.  Every one of these critters was at least 8 feet long.  As the saying goes, "Let sleeping Sea Lions lie."

But, if pricey penguins, bowling balls on the beach, large lesbian birds, and Sea Lions on the beach weren't strange enough, it really got weird at the Penguin Cafe when Mike ordered pancakes for breakfast:

You guessed it--a plate of four Penguin Pikelets, banana slices, syrup-infused cream, and garnished with powdered sugar!  It seems that the cafe has a press that forms these little bird-cakes into their cute, edible size and shape.  Whod'a thunk it?  They were so good that we both ordered them the next day.

So, we are now back in Christchurch, still tasting those pikelets, and hoping that Luci will not be the same type of damaging event we had here three weeks ago. 

Mike and Terry