Otago Peninsula

February 24

Our good weather luck ran out today. We had a great run of it though, really only that awful day of rain in Picton after our Queen Charlotte hike where we were too exhausted to care what it was doing outside. And that was several weeks ago! So we really can’t complain. 

Before heading out of Oamaru, we woke up and went straight to Harbour Street Bakery for their famous cronuts.

Since we couldn’t decide between the lemon curd and boysenberry, we got one of each.

That was the easiest decision of the trip so far and they did not disappoint. We strolled around downtown, which was actually pretty quaint, and then realized we were late for our date with the Moeraki Boulders, since we had to view them at low tide and that was two hours ago.

A quick 30 minutes later we arrived.

I had been amazed by the countless pictures of these massive spherical boulders left on the beach some 65 million years ago. This was to be a highlight of the Otago Peninsula visit. The rain abated as we walked down the steps onto Koekohe Beach only to find… rocks? That’s it? Where are the huge boulders I saw in the photos?

Apparently when storms come through, the boulders shrink and get buried under the sand, so we didn’t get a chance to see these giant-sized rocks in their massive formations.

Well that was a huge disappointment! We took a few photos, chatted with a nice British couple and made our way to our next meal to lift my mood (note to self, sounds like emotional eating).

The Fishwife in Moeraki Village wasn’t even on my list of places to eat. How did I miss this place? The motel owner who checked us in at our motor lodge in Oamaru told us about it and its limited opening hours (Friday-Sunday only). Guess my luck is turning around since today is Saturday! An outside shack of a place right on the water where they literally pluck the fish from the sea and fry it fresh was our spot.

After waiting on a 30 minute line and placing our order, our delicious fish and chips arrived.

This time we had sole and blue cod (one of each please!) and both were amazing. The British couple we met on the beach showed up and we chatted some more, trading travel tips as we’ve come to do when we meet fellow travelers.

Back in the car and attempting to drive to our next port of call further south on the island, we were overcome by a food coma and Mitch had to pull over to catch some Zzzs. I happily joined in until we were pleasantly awakened by Zack calling us to catch up.

We hopped back on the road and drove another hour to our destination for the next few days, an Airbnb which we thought was in Dunedin, but is actually 25 minutes out on the Otago Peninsula.

We questioned our choice of accommodation on this winding oceanside road to the house. Why would we have chosen a place so far out of town? Running out for groceries will not be an option and going to town for dinner will be 30 minutes each way.

And then we arrived. And drove down this steep driveway that we may never be able to get back up.

We cancelled our dinner reservation. Who wants to schlep out in the pouring rain to eat cauliflower and salad when I can sit at the kitchen table in my leggings, eat peanut butter on toast with a glass of NZ white wine and marvel at the view? Me, that’s who. And that’s exactly what I did.

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