South Island - from west to east

Leaving Te Anau felt as though we were starting on our journey home. Just a week left of our trip and we were picking our way across to Christchurch to fly home on Sunday. But, like everywhere else in NZ, there are always big landscapes and interesting things to see along the way.

We were heading for the Otago Peninsular just south east of Dunedin and some 300 km drive. Half way was a town called Gore in the heart of an agricultural area and a real town. This was the first place we had been to in ages that wasn't a tourist trap and it was lovely. There were proper shops selling everyday things and there were strong signs of its agricultural heritage 

We spent ages in a craft cooperative shop and an enormous art gallery funded by an eccentric named Money which was full of strange and haunting paintings by Chinese artists. Quite incongruous. We arrived in Portobello not really knowing what to expect. We could have been in a very quiet Cornwall. 

though you can just see the cruise liner in the top right hand corner! The campsite was small and friendly and it was lovely to be in a less overpowering environment after the enormity of Fiordland. We went for a lovely walk yesterday morning and came across several Pukaka as well as all sorts of waders and plovers

before having lunch in the 1908 cafe. Fish and chips - more of a favourite here than in the UK.

The weather was beautiful and just right for our early evening excursion with Elm Wildlife Tours. http://www.elmwildlifetours.co.nz  We were collected from our site at 3.45pm and got back five hours later. Otago Peninsular, like Cornwall is criss-crossed with lots of tiny roads and unsealed tracks and impossible to negotiate with our campervan. Sean (or possibly Shaun) took us and seven others to various inlets and coves where we saw more wildlife than can be listed here but included kingfishers, stilts, paradise shelduck, pukakas (otherwise known as purple sproutings..), black swans, oystercatchers, various shags etc etc. Then we arrived at the Royal Albatross centre at Taiaroa to have these magnificent birds flying over the tops of our heads. 

Elm Wildlife Tours have a conservation area which they run in conjunction with a local farmer. This meant we were able to get really close to yellow eyed penguins

These poor little things moult once a year. During this time they can't swim and don't eat, but just stand and wait for their feathers to change. All they manage to do is make it to water to drink. They are very vulnerable at this time, especially to feral cats, dogs, the occasional sea lion and stoats.

We also walked on the beach with sea lions

 

and then went on to see more fur seals, but, having already seen so many and as it was getting dark, I didn't take any photos. I did take some of the sunset - the end to a gorgeous day.