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An early start as I was not sure how long today's road trip was going to take. I was doing a loop through the Waitake valley, known for it's tiny wine industry, beautiful lakes that are a source of hydroelectricity, and the unusual rock formations and fossils.
I head in a straight line to the furtherest point on my journey, lake benmore which is a milky blue colour as it's water source is from the glaciers on top of the nearby mountain range. It is beautiful and I am the only one here. I then continue back past lake waitaki till I reach the small town of Kurow. Sadly, I was there to try the small growing wine selection coming out of the valley but the vitners drop which does the tastings was closed ... As were the couple of antique shops. Luckily the biggest winery, kurow wines had their tasting room open. They are a boutique winery and their wines are designed for cellaring ... The most promising seemed the gerwutz and the viogner. The Italian owner also makes a mean limoncello.
Continuing on the loop, I stop at a paddock that has been the site of many films due to it's stunning valley filled with huge rock formations and fringed with mountains. Visitors are welcome just don't let the sheep out. The countryside is beautiful, the exposed rock in the cliffs just makes it more dramatic.
I returned to oamaru at 1300 and could think of nowhere better for lunch than a return to riverstone kitchen. I was not disappointed - lined up on the concrete counter was the most incredible selection of tarts, which meant dessert was mandatory. I chose to try their handcut chips (perfect) and mixed cabbage and hazelnut salad so I could have room for something sweet. When the waitress saw I was struggling to choose my tart, she offered to give me two halves - so I had yellow plum crostada with vanilla icecream, and apricot freeform tart with apricot icecream! Amazing!!!!! And the best bit, all of that with coffee for NZD23!
The evening was spent watching nature - at 1930 I drove to the DOC hide on a cliff that was the spot to watch yellow eyed penguins come to shore. They are a very shy bird. and will not make landfall if they see people on the beach. Two little penguins came ashore then two rude inconsiderate people went down to the beach and would not leave even after repeated requests. Not a single penguin came to shore in the 40 minutes they stayed on the beach, depriving the 60+ other people who had come from all different parts of the world to see these rare birds! Sometimes people really astound you with their disregard for nature that they are there to see (only 2 more penguins came to shore after they left, leaving breeding nests unattended), as well as being utterly insensitive to others, and just a disrespect for guidelines. I met a couple who were originally from Christchurch but had relocated to oamaru, and we discussed natural disasters.
At 2100 I drove to the blue penguin colony. This is a paid viewing platform, but the advantage is the colony is studied and protected and the penguins are conditioned to follow a predictable path to their nests. The penguins come in groups called rafts, they fly out of the water, preen and oil their feathers, then make their way to their nesting boxes. After watching for an hour, I decided to leave as I was cold and tired. I was almost at my car in the carpark when a cluster of penguins had come ashore and came to within a metre of where I stood with others. By contrast everyone was respectful, using no flash photography, keeping still and not harassing the birds. I had to check for penguins under my car before leaving! I have finally seen both types of penguins in the wild, and to top off the wildlife list a sea lion came ashore just as I was leaving the yellow penguin viewing site!
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