Oamaru, The Otago Peninsular & Dunedin,

We arrived in Oamaru on the East coast of the South Island of NZ and went to the coast to see if we could spot some Yellow Eyed Penguins - we could see them on the beach and found one in the bush - but alas they were too far away for any good photo's - was fun watching them though.

Oamaru is a Victorian town and the centre has lots of old buildings etc. It is also known for it''s eccentric and artistic local these photo's are of our hostel on the outskirts of town which even had it's own art studio.

There were lots of nice local shops full of paintings, sculptures and hand made crafts that also doubled up as galleries.

In quite a few of shops the people working there were dressed up in Victorian clothes which added to the quaint atmosphere of the town - Chom Poo Moo certainly liked it.

She also enjoyed meeting some of the local eccentrics......though she felt a little small compared to them...

Anyone for ice-cream???

Chom Poo Moo was so upset that even though she had made friends with some of the local Penguins she was not allowed to join them for a small refreshment at this exclusive club - she is now seeking legal advise about whether she has a case under the Discrimination Act.

Silke would fit in well here with all the eccentrics - she enjoyed trying out the Penny Farthing.

Moeraki Boulders Beach - easy to see where it got it's name from!! We couldn't figure out the strange lighting - was very hazy but no clouds - then later we found out about the fires in Australia which is what had caused this and the unusually warm wind temperatures!!

Chom Poo Moo tries to disguise herself as a Penguin so she can go back and try and get into the Penguin Club!!

A short distance further along the Otago Peninsular at Katiki Point where we found some Yellow Eyed Penguins which are quite rare and very cute....

They waddle out of the water and just stand for ages staring out to sea drying off their feathers.

Wait for me......

Kissing and cleaning each other.....

Can you touch your bum with your nose?? Have you ever tried??

We watched these three for a while - the bigger one in the middle went up to the small penguin and pecked at him till he fell over - then repeated this several times after the little one got back up......was a shame in the end the little one seemed to give up and didn't move again whilst we were still there.....

This was the rebel penguin who was going for his own look in hair styles....

We headed to Dunedin next - not the girls weren't going for a blue rinse perm - our first stop was of course a tour of Cadbury World where we had to wear these very attractive hats for hygiene reasons!!

One of the old delivery trucks used by Cadbury's - just as well I wasn't a driver here or I would have been reported 'Missing In Action'!!

Chom Poo Moo loved finding out how they made the chocolate - but she was disappointed when unlike Charlie in the Chocolate Factory she wasn't allowed to go for a swim in the Chocolate Pool!!

But that didn't last too long when her and Oli-Via found the Crunchie Mountain!!

My ideal man!!!

Dunedin has a Scottish heritage having been established by Scottish immigrants in the 1840's - which is reflected in many of the street names such as 'St Andrew's St/Glasgow St'. The University is similar in appearance to some of the Scottish universities and there is even a statue of Rabbie Burns in the centre of town.

Bet you didn't know the vikings made it all the way to Dunedin?? Haha - no idea why this boat was here......

Larnach Castle on the outskirts of Dunedin is New Zealands only castle. IT was built in 1871 by a business tycoon and politician (obviously to show of his wealth!!). Not quite as impressive as some of the castle's we have at home but still had the usual scandals and intrigue that follows such places - William Larnach who built it had 3 wife's and cheated his kids out of their inheritance when his 2nd wife died - he later shot himself when his son was having an affair with his 3rd wife - and the kids then went to court to get their inheritance back. Later it was used as and Asylum and lay empty and was quite derelict when it was bought by a family in the 1960's who have restored and opened it to the public - with stories of ghost sightings etc.....

There was some lovely flowers in the gardens at the castle.

Chom Poo Moo wanted to sit on the throne....

This is the fluffiest chicken I have ever seen......

It was quite chilly so Silke warms up beside the coal fire.

The views as we drive back into Dunedin.

Tunnel Beach just outside Dunedin - name comes from the hand carved tunnel through the cliff which takes you down to the beach - stunning views from here.

Some more to go........