Quest Hotel Dunedin

... truly spoilt and as the weather was less than perfect we decided to head on to our accommodation and relax for a little bit for a change. Tonight we were staying between Te Anau and Manapouri in our own cabin on a deer farm. Once again it was worth the trip just for this, we had a cabin with en-suite perched on the edge of the hill with views over the valley and into the mountains below while the main building was a huge converted barn with two log fires around the ...

Today Lloyd, James and me went to the old railway station and then went to the Sports museums inside, which had lots of really interesting exhibits. Then after we went back to the hostel and had some food.We headed out to the Speights Brewery to see how New Zealands favourite beer is made. The tour was quite interesting and we got to learn about the history and evolution of Speights beer. However the highlight was ...

... honour to be witnessing this happening in the wild from so close up and we were even treated to a bit of comedy as a returning pair were washed back out a couple of times before successfully making it up onto the hill to bed down for the night. After a lovely 'stone-grill' dinner in the centre of Dunedin, it was with very fond memories of the day that we settled down for the night and made ready for the cross-country trip back to Te Anau for a 2nd attempt at a fiord cruse.

... dunedin) of chinese dragons on pots and clothes and jewellery I had a quick look at this too on the way out of the museum I asked at the desk if they had a map and having got one was asking what the harbour front was like when an old bloke turns to me and says i'm off that way in a minute would you like a lift - well mum and dad told me when i was a kid not to go with strangers but as an adult i found you sometimes get decent luck and ...

... fleeting glances, as we passed through, did seem quite an attractive city, but we had no time to stay and take a closer look - penguins called!! From Dunedin we turned off and headed out on to the Otago Peninsula - another hairy car drive, along a narrow road, only just wide enough for two cars, with a sheer rock face on one side and now barrier to a precipitous drop into the sea on the other and local drivers breathing down our necks behind!!! Thankfully ...

... say is that it was worth the wait. While we waited for dusk, there were Seals on the shore for us to marvel at and photograph, then the Penguins arrived. A volunteer for the DOC (Department Of Conservation) was there to make sure everything went smoothly and pointed out the disturbance in the water that looked like a flock of ducks. They shot right into the shore and that's when we could just make out the penguins heading up the bank. They actually ...

... that it was just a bit overheated from being left on the dashboard in the sun, and just needed a rest and to, literally, recharge its batteries a little. Fortunately there were signs for Dunedin, so I figured I'd just follow those, and by the time I arrived, the stupid thing would have located itself and me once more. After a couple of hours, I turned it back on, and it behaved much more like a satnav and less like a petulant child. This pleased me. So ...

... soon decided that there were too many high rise buildings (i.e. more than 2 floors!), too many cars, and too many people! Looks like we've adjusted to small(ish) town life after all! After the dreary rainy dreech day that was Saturday, Sunday was GORGEOUS, not a cloud in the sky, and we headed off to Otago Peninsula to see some albatrosses, seals and penguins. Think we picked the right day for it, although the wind on the coast is crazy cold, I suppose it comes of ...

... and arrived the same time as Graeme (Volunteer who looks after the penguins welfare) who was able to give us loads of useful info on the penguins and the sea lions on the beach. We left the beach after watching the penguins and sea lions for an hour and headed straight for our evening tour of Speights Brewery. During the tour we were informed on how James Speight started the company and of course how they make the beer. We were then ...

... the beach and saw a couple hanging out there, as well.  There was a little observation blind where we watched a couple penguins come up out of the water, walk up the beach, and hop up into the grassy area above the beach (to get out of the way of the sea lions, apparently).  I got some really good pictures and some movies, too.  On our way back along the beach a couple of penguins started coming up from the water right in front of us!  Our guide told us to stand still and just ...