Moeraki Boulders

My handsome boy perched atop the Moeraki Boulders

Gregory playing amongst the Moeraki Boulders prior to the tide going out. We stayed around for about 3 hours...

Erosion of the Moeraki Boulders (septarian concretions). Many of these "chunks" were found further up the beach.

Quartz Heart

Hatching Gregory

Climbing these was not an easy task.

Gregory and Dorrie

View from up top

Later in the afternoon as the tide has gone out

Out of this world!

Many tourists came and went but there were times that we had the boulders all to ourselves. Magical!

In my mind this is definitely one of the natural wonders of the world. These symmetrically round boulders look as if they are from out of this world. I heard someone mention that it almost seems like a giant was playing marbles and left his marbles scattered on the beach. We actually spent over three hours here just marveling at these formations. We climbed on them, felt the various textures both smooth and a bit rough with grooves dividing these septarian concretions. I went a bit picture happy and photographed them at a multitude of angles as the tide continued to recede during our visit.

I did take some time to myself this day and wandered down the beach on my own until I could almost go no further. I just savored the beauty of this special place and the energy it seems to radiate. It is difficult to explain but I found it very peaceful and calming and a great place to contemplate things and meditate. I can’t say I came to any grand conclusions but I did feel restored that afternoon and I didn’t want to leave. That is a beach I could walk each and every morning leaving with revived energy for whatever the day might bring. The Moeraki Boulders are a thing of wonder and incredible beauty. Maybe it is a bit of the rock hound in me that I inherited from my lapidary grandparents but you don’t have to be a lover of rocks and minerals to appreciate these spherical giants.

Oamaru and Penguins!

These are the two types of penguins that we saw this evening.

Mike and Gregory looking for Yellow-eyed Penguins from the hide above Bushy Beach

Yellow-eyed Penguin coming in at dusk on Bushy Beach in Oamaru

Gregory spots a moulting little blue penguin down at the wharf in Oamaru

About Little Blue Penguins (We weren't allowed to photograph the little blues that we saw at the viewing stand.)

~ For more penguin pictures see my blog entry about The Catlins and Curio Bay ~

We finally got to see penguins! We knew that Oamaru was the best place to see the little blue penguins and we were fortunate to see some rare yellow-eyed penguins as well. They come up the beach at dusk so we went to the hide (small building for viewing from high up on the cliffs above the beach where the penguins come in from their day of fishing) at Bushy Beach around 6 PM and got a glimpse of the yellow-eyes first. Though from our distance they looked like just a speck on the beach we were thrilled to see them. The wind was fierce and it was brisk but we braved the weather to see these special creatures. (Usually only 4-5 of the yellow-eyed penguins appears each night.)

On a tip from a local we went to the wharf to try to see the little blues (rather than paying to see them from the specially constructed viewing stands). When we arrived around 7:30 PM we were looking out to sea when Gregory crouched down and saw a penguin wedged between two rocks right near our feet. The penguin looked a bit sick but Mike and I knew from our previous visit that March is the season for moulting. This is when the penguins load up on fish and then come ashore for 2 weeks during which time they live on stored fat and lose all their feathers and put on new ones. They must not be disturbed during this critical time.

After waiting until about 8:15 PM and with still no sign of the penguins coming in from the sea, it was getting too dark, so we decided we’d go ahead and pay to see them in the well lit viewing stand. It was $20NZ/adult and $10NZ/child but the nice lady at the register let Gregory in for free. It was well worth it! We saw 49 little blues! They come up the rocks in small groupings and preen for a bit and then they scurry across a bit of road and under a wire fence before making their way across a grassy patch and into their burrows. They were quite noisy and it was such a thrill to watch and listen to them. With just a few left on the rocks preening, the viewing stands emptied out in a hurry, as it was bitterly cold! However, we were the last holdouts and closed down the place!

(Note: Since I’m writing this about a week after it happened I can say that we’ve seen Yellow-eyed penguins on two other occasions and once was up close and personal! Read about it in my post about The Catlins!)

I almost forgot to mention that Mike got pulled over by an officer on our way out to Bushy Beach. We were actually quite stunned that we were stopped and weren’t sure why. With license in hand the officer asked, “How long have you been in the country?” “A few weeks,” Mike replied. It turned out that Mike made what we call a “California stop” and had rolled through a stop sign. To tell you the truth I wasn’t paying that close of attention and Mike thought he had made a complete stop. We were let off with a warning and asked to please make a complete stop from here on!

The Vanished World Fossil Centre at Duntroon

Saying goodbye to our Timaru SERVAS hosts Isobel and Neil

Duntroon Gaol (pronounced Jail)

Gregory finds a 20 million year old fossilized shell in limestone

Digging for fossils at the Duntroon Fossil Centre

Extinct shark-toothed dolphin from near Duntroon

Double click here to read more about this fossil.

Double click here to read more about "Earthquakes".

Gregory tramping up to "Earthquakes"

Gregory chasing sheep at "Earthquakes"

"Earthquakes"

Look at that sky!!

Fossilized Whale Bones were found at "Earthquakes"

Timeline

Double Click here to read more about Elephant Rocks (used in the filming of Chronicles of Narnia ~ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe)

Elephant Rocks

Note Mike is at the base of the rock in the center of this picture.

Sheep aren't the only roadside hazard. Fortunately people we met at the last Fossil Trail site told us about the livestock in the road up ahead...

After leaving Timaru (the second largest city in Canterbury next to Christchurch) we took our hosts advice and headed to Duntroon to visit the fossil centre where we could have a glimpse into prehistoric New Zealand. Gregory spent almost an hour digging in the soft chunks of limestone (at the fossil centre) for 20 million year old fossils and exploring the museum with displays including the fossilized skeleton of an ancient baleen whale and the fossilized skull of an extinct shark-toothed dolphin that lived about 25 million years ago in the late Oligocene times. This shark-toothed dolphin had a skull about 1m (3.28ft.) long, which would be five to six times that of a modern dolphin. The shark-toothed dolphin was probably 5-6m in length (16.4-19.7ft.)! The docent at the museum was comparing the length to that of Mike’s Dodge Ram pickup truck (a truck in New Zealand would be called a “Ute” or utility vehicle).

After the museum we stopped briefly to view some Maori rock art that was very faint in black and red tones. This is a sacred Maori site and cages protect the rock art yet there are still tourists that abuse this and we heard of some Germans who posted pictures of themselves, behind these protective cages, on facebook. It is so sad. Some of this art has been removed to museum as the weather is gradually wearing it away. I imagine it is difficult to decide whether to remove and preserve these treasures of history or leave the sacred site to remain just that.

“The Earthquakes” was next on the Vanished Fossil Trail. These distinctive yellow-brown limestone cliffs set against a bright blue sky are a sight to behold. They are set on private farmland so Gregory went tramping after a flock of sheep. He didn’t catch them but got plenty of sheep poo on his shoes! We had to keep them in the trunk!

“Elephant Rocks” with its unique and enormous rocks was the setting for Aslan’s camp in The Chronicles of Narnia ~ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We tried to picture the scenes in the movie as we climbed up on top of these massive boulders and looked out upon the grasslands below. (Later we watched the movie again with renewed interest.)

We had one last stop on the fossil trail at Anatini Farm (private property, Anatini means many caves) to view some fossilized skeletal remains of an ancient baleen whale and then we had to slow down as we came across some cattle in the road before we could head on down to Oamaru before the penguins arrive at dusk!

Timaru

Kiwi Birds in the South Canterbury Museum in Timaru. Because these birds are noctural chances are we won't see a live one. (Look for my post of Gregory's Kiwi Bird research report that he has written.)

“New Zealanders of all heritages are affectionately called Kiwis after the national bird—an oddly charming, round, fuzzy brown bird that can’t fly. The bird has become a symbol of the uniqueness of New Zealand and its people.” (Taken from: New Zealand, Enchantment of the World by Donna Walsh Shepherd)

Albatross at the South Canterbury Museum in Timaru (Later we go to the Royal Northern Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head in Dunedin.)

Timaru Aviary

Timaru Botanical Gardens

Timaru Botanical Gardens ~ I was quite pleased with this shot. The colors are brilliant!

If you are an American reading this chances are you've seen the Aflac commercials. I think it looks like this duck is saying, "AF-LAC!" Greogory had a great time feeding the hundreds of birds in the pond at the botanical gardens.

Gregory helps Isobel's in her Timaru garden

Century Pool in Timaru ~ Gregory thought this hydro slide was pretty terrific but the town actually has a new aquatic centre in the works. These indoor heated complexes are really nice.

1.4 metres = 4.59 feet

0.9metres = 2.95 feet

Gregory would happily go from aquatic centre to aquatic centre all about New Zealand! Here he has found a large foam float to use in the pool.

New Zealand takes recycling very seriously. They even had these bins at the pool with the below note letting people know what goes where. The "organics bins" are for compost food material.

Note: "lollie wrappers" (all candy is referred to as lollies ~ not just lolly pops as we say in America) Diapers are Nappies

Dinner with our Timaru SERVAS hosts Neil and Isobel

Evening of March 23 and March 24, 2010

Another warm SERVAS welcome from our host and hostess, Neil and Isobel of Timaru. Val (from Akaroa) actually put us in touch with them and we couldn’t have been more delighted. We rang them in the morning and by the time we arrived in the evening Neil had made his way down to pick up some fresh Gurnard (fish) at the market for our evening tea. In the past Val had advised Isobel on her diet (to help with arthritis) and so Isobel and Neil are almost vegetarian with Isobel watching gluten, sugar, nightshade vegetables and other foods that keep her diet more alkaline than acid. These are all good practices for me as well and I was thrilled to get more dietary advice and tips.

I was immediately struck by what wonderful grandparents these two must be because that were so attentive to what might interest Gregory. He had his own space with a reading light and Isobel invited Gregory along to the pool for her early morning swim at 7AM. Once there he found out about the hydro slide with unlimited rides from 6:30 to 7:30 PM so while Isobel was at Pilates we made a second trip to the pool that day. It was probably the highlight of his day though we had a great time at the playground, aviary, aviary, Aigantighe (pronounced ‘egg and tie’) Art Gallery (where he got to dress in Victorian costume and find his painting) and the South Canterbury museum full of taxidermy (kiwi and other local wetland birds), butterfly specimens, shells, Maori artifacts and a special photographic exhibit of the wetland birds. It was a very full day. We prepared a late tea and saw a video of a recent bike trip that Isobel and Neil made with a group of friends to the Queenstown area. They also showed us some footage from a helicopter flight over some exquisite untouched areas of New Zealand.

Isobel and Neil are just the kindest people you could meet and they are another great example of how important it is to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. We really enjoyed our stay and hope our paths will cross again one day.