We spent the morning exploring green spaces in Dunedin (including a 19th century cemetery and several city parks). — going up and down some rather steep streets. We were rewarded with some good bird spotting, including the parrots pictured below. By the end of our wanderings we saw a large percentage of the birds likely to be seen in that area. We ate lunch in a pub attached to the Speight’s brewery which has operated since 1876. The food was okay, but the beer and the cider were excellent. We then joined our group to travel to tonight’s accommodations. Larnach Castle was built on the Otago Peninsula between 1871-1878, and is filled with amazing wood, tile and plaster work. We are staying in an adjacent lodge with wonderful views over the harbor.
The grounds of the castle are lovely if not extensive. To our delight and chagrin, a Tui (an iridescent and vocal member of the honeyeater family) chose to pose very close to us in the gardens. We had spent significant time both yesterday and this morning trying to see this bird; at best one would perch at the top of a distant tall tree, and now here was one being so cooperative! Later in the afternoon we traveled to see a nesting location for Northern Albatross (we saw three in flight as well as a New Zealand Seal in the water) and then visited a sanctuary for Yellow-eyed Penguins. The sanctuary is privately owned and completely supported by tourism. The sanctuary not only cares for underfed penguins ( climate change is damaging their feeding patterns) but is also replanting native forest needed by this species for nesting. We saw a mother and two babies in the wild and then several more in the rescue center.
We had a kickoff dinner in the castle and then toured its rooms. Tomorrow the trip begins in earnest.
Pictured: yellow-eyed penguin, eastern rosella, tui
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