Moeraki

Due to rainy weather and our very kind hosts in Oamaru, we didn't end up camping in Moeraki on our way to Dunedin. We made an epic day trip of it instead.



I've been wanting to see the Moeraki boulders for years. I can't help it; I have a thing about cool rock formations. At first Sam and Harry didn't understand why I dragged them to some beach to look at rocks, but they were impressed when we got there.




Read more about these amazing boulders here.





After leaving the boulders and lunching in the car, we tried to find some penguins. Our CouchSurfing hosts had assured us Moeraki was a better place than Oamaru to spot yellow eyed penguins. Before finding them, we stopped at the wrong place and accidentally disturbed a seal when we climbed over some rocks. He scared us to death when he woke up and growled at us, blowing a cloud of stinky fish breath at us as we scurried over rocks to get away.

I just want to take a minute to explain that the closeup photos were taken with a zoom lens. I am neither stupid nor disrespectful enough to get up in a seal or a penguin's face.






I was very disappointed to leave without seeing penguins, but eventually we found the road to the lighthouse and got on the right track.



When we first walked behind the light house, we saw a far off black and white shape in the grass. I excitedly grabbed my zoom lens, but it seemed it was just a rock.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a penguin. He was the sentinel, guarding the gate to the peninsula. He stood in the pathway meditating, occasionally lifting his wings as if flying, eyes closed.

Stretching penguin

Molter

The funny thing about this penguin colony is there are all these fences to keep the people from getting too close, but the penguins have disregarded the boundaries and crossed into the human area. At times we had to leave the path because it was occupied by a penguin or two.







We approached cautiously and made sure not to crowd them. The photo above is the closest we got. The penguins didn't seem bothered at all by our presence.

Is it just me or does this penguin have Zach Morris hair?

Lazy yawning penguin.

This was such a good day!