I left Blenheim last Tuesday, making my way down the coast to Christchurch, where I spent the next few nights. I had a chance to do some wine tasting in North Canterburry (Waipera Valley), and also to check out the Banks Peninsula. Unfortunately for the wine tasitng, many of the cellar doors now have winter hours or they are closed, so I only had a chance to visit 3. Favorites of the day were Pegasus Bay Chardonnay and Torlesse Reisling. While I was in Christchurch the weather was a bit overcast, cold and rained at times.
After my 2 full days in the area, I made my way down the coast to the city of Dunedin, which was a great drive with a couple of fun stops; the Moreaki Boulders and Bushy Beach, which is home to a Yellow Eyed Penguin community. I got some great pics and wish I could have stayed in the area a bit longer, but was happy to arrive in Dunedin.
Dunedin is in the Southeast of the the south island, and is a vibrant little city that is full of energy, great architecture and beautiful surrounding areas. The weather cleared up while I was in Dunedin, which was great and also a much needed break for the previous 6 days or so of mediocre weather. The area that I visited over the two days was the Otago Peninsula, which is home to a number of different coastal wildlife, and once again, great views. Highlights of the peninsula were visiting a Royal Albatross community, where I had the chance to see some Albatross chicks and a couple of adults, and Sandfly Bay, where I got the closest I've been to the Penguins so far. I also got pretty close to some big Sea Lions. I also visited and toured the Speights Brewery, and visited the train station and the local museum.
Next post will be about my time in the Caitlins and Milford Sound.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment