VictoriaFebruary 23
Clay Cliffs in Omarama was our first stop of the day. These tall pinnacles of gravel and silt were formed millions of years ago by, you guessed it, glaciers.
Mitch scaled the backside of the cliffs through a very narrow tunnel archway that another tourist suggested was safe to climb even though it was extremely steep. It was probably easier to go up the passageway than down as I watched him carefully maneuver his way back to where I safely remained — at the base of the cliffs. He said the views of the cliffs up high were really cool. We also realized we probably should have worn our hiking boots on this trail instead of sneakers.
From the cliffs, we drove another hour to Elephant Rocks in Waitaki. These weathered limestone boulders, resembling elephants, were formed 23-25 million years ago. For those of you who are Narnia fans, the site has been used to film The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We captured some fun shots from atop the rocks.
Our evening activity was learning about penguins at the Blue Penguin Colony in Oamaru.
These are not just any penguin though. The blue penguin is the world’s smallest and can be found only in NZ and Australia.
We sat in the viewing stands and watched as 83 penguins arrived home in different flotillas from their day at sea to return to their nesting boxes.
Making it home alive though is no easy feat with predators such as leopard seals, sea lions, orcas and sharks just waiting for a blue penguin as their snack. I wanted to cheer every time I saw one waddle up from the shore and climb the steep bank to be reunited with his/her family. We were not allowed to take photos or videos or even have our phones visible as the light is very distracting to the penguins. So we’ve included a few photos from the Internet.
At the end of the night, the guide cautioned us to look for penguins under our cars before driving off as some penguins can get lost in the parking lot and hide under cars. She said those signs on the road aren’t made for Instagram, they’re warning signs so you don’t drive off and accidentally make a little blue penguin pancake.
Oamaru
