Day 21 - An unexpected privilege

Dunedin - Invercargill

We stayed in the Law Courts Hotel in central Dunedin. Once frequented by the Queen and Prince Phleep no less. However, that was in 1954 and the place is a bit more "faded glory" these days. Still, central location, clean room plus two breakfasts for 40 quid isn't to be turned down lightly. I've said it before and I'll say it again, NZ really is very good for decent accommodation.

The hotel was next to Cadbury World New Zealand and we had planned on nipping into the factory shop. We've been to its bigger brother in the UK more than once, so had no need of tours and things. We were disappointed to find that for some unfathomable reason, we had to buy a tour ticket to enter the shop. Cadburys NZ do a whole bunch of weird Dairy Milk flavours (Black Forest Gateau really works, mind) but paying $10 for the right to buy more seemed a bit off.

So we didn't and jumped into the car. A longer drive this time, and a bit disappointing for much of the way. We had hoped to go to the Cathedral Caves, huge holes in the cliff face near a beach but it seemed typical of the day that the caves were only accessible at low tide, and we arrived at the wrong time.

Final stop of the day, late afternoon, was the petrified forest at Curio Bay. Again, Carolines interest in geology for this one, a forest preserved in the rock and sand of the beach on the Bay. When we arrived and had a look, we saw a couple of people looking at something off to their left.

A penguin. Just climbed up from the sea and heading to its nest.

We quickly made our way down to the beach and took up a position far enough away not to disturb it. This wasn't a reserve or anything, just a normal beach and it was clear that this place was used as a nesting ground. Caroline was taking photos of this penguin from about hundred feet away and cursing for the thousandth time that she didn't have a big enough lens to get close-ups. That was when I pointed out a shape near us.

Bobbing in the ocean about twenty feet away was another Yellow-Eyed Penguin. Everything we had been told about them was that this species was rare and shy, yet to our eternal delight, this particular bird decided that we were no threat and hopped onto the rocks next to us. We both tried to stay absolutely still and silent - as usual, this is the time when all manner of itches, sneezes and so on try to make themselves known - and the penguin stood so close to us we could reach out and touch it.

After five minutes or so or hopping about, and a brief trip back into the sea, our new friend decided it was time to make his bed for the night. Out he came again, waddled past us, up the rocks and into the bushes.

To see something as rare and unexpected as that is an utter privilege. In everyday conditions, you don't choose to see wildlife, it chooses to tolerate you. These penguins could easily have scooted back into the ocean and back to safety, waiting for us to leave. Instead they trusted us and we were repaid with something neither of us will ever forget.