South of Oamura the flat landscape gives way to hills once more and the 110km drive to Dunedin offers some interesting places to dally for a while. Our first stop is the famed Moeraki boulders which litter a short stretch of beach between Hampden and Moeraki. These spherical boulders of differing sizes sit enigmatically in the sand, the waves breaking around them; their presence a conundrum. How did they come to be here? Apparently they were formed millions of years ago by a process of concretion when this coast line was submerged. The boulders are buried in the soft mud cliffs and have been exposed by erosion Many more are thought to be still buried within the existing cliffs.
The wind has dropped and the it is sunny and warm by the time we reach Shag Point a little further down the coast, so-called, we assume, after the Shags or spotted cormorants that congregate here, and there are many along the cliff tops looking from a distance like penguins with long necks! Shag Point is also home to a colony of seals of which there are many resting on the rocks or hauling themselves out of the water. They are only few feet below us and seem just a curious about us as we are about them, some craning up to look at us. Here too, with the aid of binoculars we spot a solitary yellow-eyed penguin standing in full view on a cliff side.
Dunedin sits on the hills surrounding the stunning Otago Harbour. A sprawling city of x, it has it’s fair share of historic buildings and attractions, not least the Otaga Peninsular famed for it’s breath-taking scenery and colonies of Royal Albatross yellow-eyed and blue penguins, seals and sea lions. We arrive mid afternoon at the Top 10 Park just outside the city centre. The standard cabins here are literally little huts with room for a double bed and single bunk above, bench table and chairs. Set slightly apart from the rest of the site there are 8 cabins sharing a small kitchen and and two showers. It could get crowded.
Word of the day: Superette – small supermarket