I was awakened this morning by the recycling truck dumping all the glass. WOW! After all of that racket there was no way I was going back to sleep, so I got up and showered. David was up as well, so we started packing up while the kids were still sleeping.
We had a nice easy breakfast before setting off for Oamaru. It was a three hour drive south of Christchurch, and the first part was pretty industrial and not very nice. The land is really flat here, so not much interesting terrain either.
By the time we got to Oamaru, we were in rolling hills and the scenery was much nicer. We are staying at a 2 bedroom place just outside of town. After making lunch, we headed over to the penguin colony to have a look around.
There is a small parking lot right near the entrance, and a larger one further away. We parked really close as no one was around. We were greeted by this statue of a penguin...
We stopped to take a fun pick outside before going in...
We had a wonderful guide who took just us out to where the penguins will be coming on shore tonight.
She told us all about how they leave before dawn and return after dark and how long they stay out at sea. She talked about how they are nesting and how how quickly the chicks grow. In five weeks they are the same size as their parents.
She told us that these penguins are in the wild and that this is an abandoned quarry. When the penguins were found nesting here they wanted to help the colony, so they started building nesting boxes for them, and then she took us into the area so that we could see them. It was so nice to have this personal tour.
She said the chicks stay inside the boxes during the day while the parents are out to sea.
We also had the opportunity to see some nesting penguins. I really enjoyed that part because you could really get a good sense of their size being that close to them. Another thing that was really interesting was to see that some of the nests were rather bare, while others were really full of all sorts of things to make them cozy and soft. Our guide was telling us that it really depended on the male partner, as the males were the ones to build the nests.
We walked around the area and David took pictures of some of the interesting plaques that were around.
There is a small parking lot right near the entrance, and a larger one further away. We parked really close as no one was around. We were greeted by this statue of a penguin...
We stopped to take a fun pick outside before going in...
We had a wonderful guide who took just us out to where the penguins will be coming on shore tonight.
She told us all about how they leave before dawn and return after dark and how long they stay out at sea. She talked about how they are nesting and how how quickly the chicks grow. In five weeks they are the same size as their parents.
She told us that these penguins are in the wild and that this is an abandoned quarry. When the penguins were found nesting here they wanted to help the colony, so they started building nesting boxes for them, and then she took us into the area so that we could see them. It was so nice to have this personal tour.
We also had the opportunity to see some nesting penguins. I really enjoyed that part because you could really get a good sense of their size being that close to them. Another thing that was really interesting was to see that some of the nests were rather bare, while others were really full of all sorts of things to make them cozy and soft. Our guide was telling us that it really depended on the male partner, as the males were the ones to build the nests.
We walked around the area and David took pictures of some of the interesting plaques that were around.
The penguins will be returning later tonight, so we will return for that. After our tour we headed into town to see if we could find some tea and scones. The place was a ghost town! Nothing was open! We finally decided to go to the grocery store to get some food for dinner and breakfast. Then we headed back to the apartment to relax and eat dinner before returning to the penguins.
We headed back around 8:00 p.m and ended up getting the last parking spot in the closest lot. This was the sign we saw on the way in...
We only had to wait for ten minutes and we were let in to the seating area. We were so lucky that our guide told us where to sit because we sat two in front and two in back all the way on the side near the sea. We ended up with the best seats in the house because we could see the penguins coming in from the sea as well as walking in front of us to get to their nests.
We only had to wait for ten minutes and we were let in to the seating area. We were so lucky that our guide told us where to sit because we sat two in front and two in back all the way on the side near the sea. We ended up with the best seats in the house because we could see the penguins coming in from the sea as well as walking in front of us to get to their nests.
The first "raft" of penguins was really hard to see. There were only about nine penguins in it. The second raft was enormous, as there were 81 penguins in it. The penguins are really small, like a foot and under. This is what they look like when they are landing...
Then they climb up the rocks...
... and eventually, after standing around chatting (for some time) about their day out at sea, they head toward their nests.
We watched a few more rafts come in before we decided to walk through the area where they were nesting. It was so great to see all of the penguins really up close! I was surprised how close we could get as these are wild penguins in their natural habitat. We could actually have reached out and touched them if we had wanted. When they first head toward the nests, they stop under the walkway and gather for a bit.
Then they climb up the rocks...
... and eventually, after standing around chatting (for some time) about their day out at sea, they head toward their nests.
We watched a few more rafts come in before we decided to walk through the area where they were nesting. It was so great to see all of the penguins really up close! I was surprised how close we could get as these are wild penguins in their natural habitat. We could actually have reached out and touched them if we had wanted. When they first head toward the nests, they stop under the walkway and gather for a bit.
There were several babies that had come out of their nesting holes to wait for their parents' arrival. So cute! There was one fellow who was waiting the entire time we were there. One of the guides said that his parents always come back really late as he is always left waiting when they close up and go home. Probably because he was at about 7 weeks and by 8 or 9 weeks the parents stop feeding them. He must be at that teenager age and parents are getting fed up, so they stay out as long as possible. This is what the youngster looked like, he was losing his down and getting is waterproof feathers...
There were two babies that came out of their nest and were pushing each other around. then they would chase each other back in. It was amazing to be right there with them in the wild. The guides told us that sometimes parents don't come home and the babies are not old enough to survive. Nothing is done because they want to keep the colony wild, and so the babies end up starving to death. They said it is really hard to deal with, but in the long run it is what is best for the colony in order to keep it wild.
There were two babies that came out of their nest and were pushing each other around. then they would chase each other back in. It was amazing to be right there with them in the wild. The guides told us that sometimes parents don't come home and the babies are not old enough to survive. Nothing is done because they want to keep the colony wild, and so the babies end up starving to death. They said it is really hard to deal with, but in the long run it is what is best for the colony in order to keep it wild.
Lots of the babies came out to wait for their parents and it was really fun to watch all of their antics. They would often stretch their wings all the way behind their backs so that they were flat against each other up in the air. It was almost like they were getting bored waiting for their parents to come home with food.
When the parents get back, the babies look like they are attacking them. They really want their food! It is weird because at five weeks old, the babies are the same size as the parents and they look even bigger because of their fluffy downy feathers.
We learned that the youngsters are not taught anything. They are not led out to sea, taught how to fish, or shown the way home in any form. Instinct has to take over. When they get hungry enough, they head out to sea and they stay at sea for an entire year their first year! There is only a 30% survival rate that first year.
We learned that the youngsters are not taught anything. They are not led out to sea, taught how to fish, or shown the way home in any form. Instinct has to take over. When they get hungry enough, they head out to sea and they stay at sea for an entire year their first year! There is only a 30% survival rate that first year.
We ended up staying and watching the penguins until 10:20 p.m. We were the last ones to leave, so we made good use of the experience. First in, last out is the way to go! It was an incredible evening!
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