Continuing the circuit of New Zealand, after making our way through The Catlins we turned northward from Nugget Point towards the city of Dunedin. This city of just about 130,000 people seemed shockingly large after our trip through the Westlands and Southlands – going through towns like Fox Glacier, population ~200 – so we decided to stay and explore a few days.
We spent one day exploring the city, with trips to several art museums and a self-guided brewery tour:
But one full day was reserved for the beautiful Otago Peninsula, which extends about 30km (19 miles) from the city into the Pacific Ocean.
Beyond gorgeous views of the surrounding area (make sure to keep your eyes on the road!) the peninsula also boasts one of New Zealand’s only castles, complete with manicured gardens:
But the real star of the area is the Southern Royal Albatross – there is an active nesting community of these birds on the eastern edge of the peninsula.
Once you get all the way to the end of the road you’ll arrive at the Royal Albatross Centre – from here, you can buy a ticket (proceeds go towards conservation) to take a guided tour up to view the birds.
We arrived at a very fortunate time. First, several chicks (which weigh up to 20+ pounds) were still on the rocks attempting to fledge so we could see them up close. There was also an adult bird soaring around the area which we were lucky to see – usually they are out to sea gathering food, or on the ground with their chicks.
By pure coincidence, we were also there on the first day adult Albatross returned to the nesting ground – marking the official start of breeding season. The entire city of Dunedin celebrates this event by ringing bells and honking horns together at 1PM – this actually lined up with the end of our tour, so we were there!
Also of note, Albatross are not the only protected species you can spot at the center. We also caught views of New Zealand Shags and many, many very loud red-billed gulls. The gulls are actually no longer in critical condition thanks to conservation efforts like what happens at the center. We even saw a whale spouting out in the distant ocean!
As a final treat, on the drive back to Dunedin we spotted a large lump on the sand in one of the small coastal neighborhoods. Turns out, it was a sea lion!
This was an incredible day, as part of an incredible stop in Dunedin, as part of our incredible tour of New Zealand!
