Our group photo with Matt after dinner and before the icy cold trip up the mountain to see the blue penguins.
So excited to be greeted by the ducks and sheep. When we left at the end of the evening, they walked us to our van and acted as through they were going to be invited in. I was surprised at the big thick horns they had. Janice looks like part of the herd with that hat!
Penguins live in little wooden boxes. I guess if they found this they’d think they won the lottery living in a mansion.
It was one of the creepier toilets of the trip. They call these long drops.
This was Liz. I think she was wearing every piece of clothing she had packed. We call her the red-footed penguin (as apposed to the blue-footed boobies in Ecuador.)
Aren’t these ADORABLE??!! The first two pics are babies ready to leave the nest. The third pic shows a penguin who went into the water for 2 weeks to eat, eat, eat and didn’t return until he was so fat he could hardly move. Then he returned to his house to totally molt. If he hadn’t eaten enough, he would starve to death during the molting. They molt once a year.
These are blue penguin homes. You know someone lives in the first two places because of the fresh white poop. Notice Elvis lives in one. They sometimes make their own homes by digging a hole.
This was quite a rustic watch tower with questionable steps. It’s surprising we all survived the rugged terrain — especially coming back in the dark.
Everyone saw one fat little penguin hanging around at the shore awaiting for dark to descend before making his way to his home. He was ready to molt.
We found a seal hanging out below.
I spied about ten little brown things swimming in the water. I was TOLD they were penguins but I couldn’t be sure. I was underwhelmed.
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As a landlord, I’m always interested in different plumbing. I’d never seen a toilet with a drain behind the toilet like this.
I took these pictures before I read the sign that said no photographs. I am going to learn to paint like this in my next life; or my later years!!
This donut can be found in Springfield, New Zealand. It’s a take-off of Homer Simpson’s town of springfield. Look it up.
Jane and I were most excited to visit the CookieTime Factory. A whole factory that only makes cookies. We bought a couple pound bag of cookies at a discount. They were fabulous, but they were misfits. They had both chocolate and white chips. WHO WOULD COMPLAIN!! Half the bag did find it’s way back to my dad.
Lupins, New Zeland’s national flower? It was at the end of the season; but beautiful just the same.
ROCKS!! Not really sure how these rocks got here, but it was a fun break from driving to our next destination. Again — I’m up on the rock.
The English name of Castle Hill Rocks – is just because the boulder formations look like the ruins of stone castle.
The Maro name of Kura Tawhiti translates to ‘the treasure from a distant land’. According to the Department of conservation, it refers to the kumara (sweet potato) that was once cultivated in this region
For movie fans, this location was not in Lord of the Rings. But it still gives you the sense of enchantment from the movie. However battle scenes of The Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the With and the Wardrobe were filmed in the area.
Two women acting like 5 year olds!! Just having fun!!
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Ice cream was never far away wherever we went.
This is a kea. It’s a sneaky little parrot that likes to steal your meal.
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The new road and the old road.
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These striped dairy cows have a huge wide white stripe down their middles.
The milking breed originates from the Netherlands and is considered a rare breed in New Zealand called the Belted Galloway.
Love the heart-shaped vine.
These are the pancake rocks. The formation of the Pancake Rocks is attributed to millions of years of geological processes. The rocks are primarily composed of limestone, which is a sedimentary rock formed from the accumulation of the remains of marine organisms such as shells and coral. Over millions of years, the softer sediment is eroded leaving a pancake-looking rock.
This was a monument to the coal miners who lost their lives mining coal.
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LAUNDRY DAY! WOO HOO!! It is ridiculous to get so excited about laundry day; but it is what it is. Knowing all your clothes are clean and you have enough for the rest of your trip is gratifying.
Our sunset view out our sliding glass door. I love my new phone.