Day 113, 114 & 115 Dunedin, Monarch Tour & Cruise

I am not sure the rain is ever going to let up.  The North Island is getting hit really hard and Auckland is starting to flood in many places.  We spent Day 113 in the camper reading and just waiting.  The next day we caught the bus downtown and went to a show.  It continued to rain for the rest of the day.

The forecast called for a nicer day on Sunday ( Day 15 ) so we booked a bus and boat tour that would take in a bunch of things we wanted to do and see in the area.  When we woke up it wasn't raining, that was the good news.  The bad news was that is was overcast, very foggy and the wind was close to gale force.  Not a real nice day. So we dressed accordingly and headed out.

The first stop was Larnach Castle.



Larnach Castle



The Castle was built between 1873 and 1887 as the residence of William Larnach, a prominent entrepreneur and politican in colonial New Zeland.  The building, which Larnach himself simply called "The Camp" did not ensure his happiness.  After a series of personal and financial setbacks he committed suicide in New Zealand's Parliament Buildings in October 1898. 

In modern times, Larnach Castle has received additional notoriety as a reportedly haunted location.  The building has been visited by paranormal investigors and featured on local New Zealand television shows such as Ghost Hunt and Spookers as well as international television shows such as American Ghost Hunters International.  We didn't see anything while we were there or maybe they were just hiding.

One of the features of the Castle is the view of the surrounding area.  When we climbed into the turret we were 320 meters above sea level. We should have had a commanding view of the surrounding area including the Otago Harbor.  However, the fog was so thick it was hard to see the person standing next to you.

The Castle was quite neat to look at and unfortunately pictures were not allowed in the main part of the house.














Kiwi Kathy on the Turret


We left the castle and headed for the Albatross Centre but were treated to a tour of the Otago Peninsula on the way.  The fog had started to lift a little and in places we were able to get some shots of the coastline.  We were also able to get a few shots of wading birds.




Pied Stilt




 Pied Oyster Catcher



The Albatross Center is centered at Taiaroa Head which is at the extreme end of the peninsula.  The Albatross is a very large bird with a wind span of 3 meters (9'6'') and weighs an average of 8-9 Kilograms  (17-20 lbs) when fully grown. It can fly at a speed of 120 KPH or 75 MPH and is truly magificent to watch in flight.





Our last portion of the trip was the one hour wildlife cruise on the Monarch and then the 1 1/2 hour trip down the 22 kilometer long Otago Harbor to wharf in Dunedin.  While we were on the boat we got to see albatross, blue penguins, fur seals, shags and one old fat sea lion.



Fur Seal and Stewart Island Shag





Blue Penguin




Stewart Island Shag




Fur Seals



Fat Sea Lion

The 90 minute trip back Dunedin was nice and relaxing and the sun even came out.  It felt good.



Dunedin



Dunedin



Larnach Castle from Harbor



New Rugby Stadium

We also found out the Center was built on the site of an old fort that was built in the late 1800's.  It was thought that England and Russia might go to war and with New Zealand being a colony took means to protect herself.  A fort was built at Tairaroa Head and an Armstrong Disappearing Gun was installed and is still there today.  We were allowed to view the fort and the gun.  The gun has never been fired in anger.

Our next stop was Penguin Place. It is a place where they study the Yellow Eyed Penguins and we were able to see them from well constructed hides.  The marjority of the birds were young cheeks as the adults were out fishing.  It was a fun 90 minutes.

We stopped at the beach where the penguins return from sea but there were none to see on the beach.  In place of it we saw a bunch of fur seals on a very nice beach.