worldaltem: Dunedin, NZ 2/4/18

Port Chalmers, NZ museum We were docked in Port Chalmers.

Dunedin Railway Station.

Many little cottage houses in Dunedin.

Otago Peninsula Scenic Drive - This was a great scenic drive. It was actually some of what I hoped to see on my Alps excursion yesterday. Highcliff Road offered some impressive vistas.

Yes, sheep are grazing on the sidehill.

This is an albatross flying. The wingspan is about 10 feet.

More sheep grazing.

This 1860's lighthouse is at the entrance to the Port Chalmer's harbor near Dunedin. It is near the Albatross Sanctuary. The swells were quite big as we were out in our small tour boat.

Near the lighthouse. Fur Seals?

Harbor entrance near Port Chalmers, NZ

Bad picture of the smallest penguin called the Little Blue Penguin. The top is blue to protect them from predators above and the bottom is white to protect them from predators below.

More albatross flying. I need a camera with a lens as long as my arm!

Red-billed gull.

Maori settled here over four centuries ago. Dunedin is New Zealand’s oldest city. It was founded by Scottish settlers in 1848, attracted by rich wildlife. One of the best preserved Victorian cities. Very hilly city. One of the steepest city streets is Baldwin Street. Octagon plaza in the center of the city. Spectacular scenery. Dramatic cliffs. Beautiful beaches. Excellent examples of 19th century architecture. Railway Station is incredible with stained glass and mosaics flooring. Expanded during gold rush in 1861. Botanical Gardens. Ortega University campus is New Zealand’s first university and largest employer in the area. Holds more teaching awards than any other university in NZ. Meat export is a big business since late 1800’s. Ortega Museum. Scottish influence still evident with bagpipers, food and whiskey. Dunedin Highland Games. One Scottish castle took 15 years to build. Albatross (giant wingspan) rookery and the only mainland colony in the world. Fur seal. Yellow eyed penguins. Little or Blue penguins. Seabirds. Rugby is a major sport. Today, about 127,000 live in Dunedin, 25,000 are students.

Otago Wildlife Cruise 9:00-11:00 2 hours. From Port Chalmers to Taiaro Head, Ortega Peninsula. Albatross live in a protected reserve, along with other wildlife (blue penguin, fur seals,). Otago Peninsula is world famous for its wildlife reserves, being home to the only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross. New Zealand fur seals and little blue penguins can be found in this area. There is also a lighthouse built in 1860. The day we went out on the MV Monarch, a sightseeing vessel, the swells were large.

Northern Royal Albatross is a large seabird, a subspecies of the royal albatross. A huge white bird with black upperwings and a white body including the mantle. The heavily hooked bill is pale pink with a black cutting edge on the upper mandible. They are surface feeders and scavengers. Their main food is squid and other cephalopods and fish, crustaceans, and salps. We saw the birds nesting on the high banks. Habitat change due to storms and climatic changes are a threat to their survival. A sprinkler system was installed to help maintain the Taiaroa Head population. It cools the nesting birds on particularly hot days.

We saw a lot of little blue penguins with slate-blue plumage and white underbelly. On average they grow to be about 13” tall and 17” long. Blue penguins weigh just over three pounds. Their wings have developed into flippers for swimming.

Included 2.5 hr 1:00-3:30 Scenic drive and spectacular views from Signal Hill. Ten mile drive along Highcliff Road and eastern shoreline of Otaga Harbor. Drove through lovely suburbs like Portobello and ride back to Dunedin. Best preserved Victorian city in the world. Stopped at the magnificent Dunedin Railway Station and the Octagon, an eight-sided plaza at the heart of the business district framed by the Town Hall, Municipal Chambers and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Dunedin’s Railway Station has ornate Flemish Renaissance-style architecture and is the country’s most photographed building. It offers ornate interiors including a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 Minton tiles.