Oamaru and an encounter with blue eyed penguins

As we headed to Oamaru today the bus stopped of at Moreaki, which is home to a rather strange collection of large spherical rocks that are strewn across a beach. Many theories exist regarding these boulders from aliens dropping them onto the beach to giants playing a game of marbles. Of course science has now explained the phenomenon as a part of the local geology. Either way they are still cool to look at


When we got to Oamaru we went for a wander around and came upon a local charity parade with loads of cars (SWAT vans, NYC taxis and the highlight was a replica General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard - ah my childhood). All the people were dressed up in historical costumes ranging from colonial soldiers to Victorian outfits and there were even people cycling on penny farthing bikes which was weird to say the least, just like we'd stepped back in time to the old days.


At night we headed out to the the blue penguin colony. The best time to see these little blighters is just after dusk when they return from a day in the sea and make their way up the beach and onto the cliff to their nests. Like everything nowadays someone has made a business out of nature and this colony is no exception. They've gone and built a viewing arena and slapped a price to get into what should be free. We had no plans of paying for the privilege to see nature, so instead we scrambled over a fence at a construction site next door and just snuck around under cover of darkness to a place where we could see them. There they were, a group of about 50 of them huddled together waddling up the beach, over the rocks and up to the nests. Very cute little fella's, and well worth our covert mission to see them for free. Sadly no pics of them because of the distance away and the darkness.