The Blue Penguins

We spent the night in another free campground last night.  Traffic remains heavy along the roads.  The problem is that the camper is so top-heavy that I drive about 80 to 85 kilometers per hour, about ten clicks under the speed limit.  I try to pull over whenever possible to let other vehicles by me, but it is not soon enough for some, making the day stressful.

We are slowly adjusting to the time change.  I am happy to report that we are staying up until nine in the evening now.  We are also adjusting to the tight quarters of the camper.  It's funny that our compact truck camper now feels huge in comparison.  It's not because there is more space... it is just better utilized.

Today we traveled on to Oamaru, the blue penguin capital of New Zealand.  These wonderful little creatures are the smallest penguins, standing only about ten inches tall.  Their feathers are blue on the top and white on the bottom to camouflage them from predators while they fish.  The penguins leave their breeding grounds early in the morning and spend most of the day at sea.  Around dusk, they return to their burrows to rest.

At the penguin visitor center, we signed up for the evening penguin watch.  The center is devoted to conservation efforts to help maintain their thriving population.  About 250 blue penguins reside here, living in tiny nest boxes provided for them.

Nest boxes for the blue penguins at Oamaru, New Zealand

We strolled around the grounds and found more silly fur seals and gulls.

Upside down fur seal

Curious sea gull

Afterwards, we found a campground and something to eat.  We ended up staying at the Harbor Tourist Park.  It was clean, had great showers, and was a mere 15-minute walk from the penguins.  During our afternoon stroll downtown, we discovered a wonderful little restaurant serving roasted meat.  You could order roasted ham, pork, or chicken.  It was served with steamed vegetables and potatoes.  After days of eating canned tuna and chicken, it tasted like a meal fit for a king or queen.

We stopped by the grocery store for a few items.  During our time there, they had a two-minute moment of silence for the Christchurch victims.  It was very touching.

We went back to the campground and took showers.  Around seven that evening, we walked fifteen to the penguin visitor center.  We passed a dock lined with shags, another type of waterfowl.  The entire dock had been closed down and designated as a shag roosting area.  It was completely covered in shags and their poo.  Even nearby boats had nets covering them to keep the birds from roosting and pooing on them.

Over 7,000 shags roost on the Oamaru Pier

The doors to the evening penguin viewing opened at 7:30.  Around 8:15 in the evening, the penguins began to return to their nest boxes.  We weren't allowed to take photos.  Below is a pic I took of a photo at the visitors center so you could see what they look like.

Photo of a photo in the Oamaru Penguin Visitor Center of a Blue Penguin

In total, 46 penguins arrived during our watch.  They came tentatively, hopping up the rocks from the sea, bypassing a few sleepy seals.  There was a small grassy area directly in front of the viewing stands that the penguins darted across until they reached the cover of a boardwalk.  From there, they found their individual brood box.  Six to eight penguins arrived at a time.  It was fun to watch them scoot across the grass.  Oh, how my finger itched to take a photo!

After all the penguins were nestled in their burrows, we strolled back by the dock and found most of the shags had left, probably gone out to sea for the night.

All in all, it was a great day... lots of wildlife, some wonderful food, and a quiet place to spend the night.  We are, indeed, blessed.