Dunedin, New Zealand
The second-largest city on New Zealand’s South island, Dunedin proved to be an urban gem along a wild, sparsely populated coastline. The small size of Oceanic Discoverer allowed us to dock right in the city centre and made a convenient base from which to explore. Wildlife was the focus for many of us as we boarded coaches to visit some of the windswept beaches of thenearby Otago Peninsula. Here, we found nesting yellow-eyed penguins, perhaps the world’s most anti-social penguin. Yellow-eyed penguins eschew the large colonies favoured by other species in Antarctica and the subantarctic islands, preferring instead to nest out of sight from their neighbours. They are also quite easily frightened and so our close approach was only possible by walking in a series of trenches, cleverly dug into hillside and running for hundreds of metres. We were treated to the sight of fluffy chicks, quietly waiting for the return of their parents with a meal of partially digested fish. Hmmm good. Not too far along the same peninsula, we visited a nesting colony of southern royal albatross. Albatrosses usually nest on remote islands so the presence of this small colony so close to a city is a rare treat.
Others among us explored the city and its urban charms: the compact splendour of the Otago Museum, the floral exuberance of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens, and the time capsule elegance of Olveston House, a magnificent formerly private residence that has been beautifully preserved.
