Day 243 - Dunedin to Oamaru, NZ

CADBURY WORLD, MOERAKI BOULDERS AND OAMARU (01/09/09)

Somehow Liz managed to persuade Adam to visit Cadbury World in Dunedin. Adam agreed when he heard there would be free food- even if it was only chocolate.

More then he bargained for- not only did Adam have to wear a hairnet for the factory visit but a beardnet too.

No doubt due to fears of industrial espionage cameras were strictly forbidden in the factory. It was a very interesting tour though, they have some amazing machines to manufacture the chocolate. They let us have the cameras back for a picture in this vintage delivery car.

After eating more chocolate at 9.30 in the morning than either has done since Easter when we were about ten we felt sicker than we look.

Fueled by a chocolate breakfast we sped up the coast. Whilst we at last had a bit of sunshne the wind was blowing almost gale force. This blew the foam off the wave crests in spectacular fashion and we stopped to watch.

Even better the rays of sun through the spray created fleeting rainbows across the sea- fantastic despite the fact that we were almost being blown into the sea ourselves.

On the way we stopped at a well known coastal tourist attraction, Moeraki Boulders. These strangely rounded boulders appear quite alien although our view of them was slightly impeded by the fact that it was high tide and they were largely covered by sea.

The spherical boulders were apparently formed by a process called concretion, where a kind of natural concrete seeps into a softer rock and clumps together forming a ball. When the soft rock is eroded these odd shapes are left.

Obviously the best way to admire such a geological oddity is from on top of it.

Adam would like to think that Liz is finally coming round to the idea of climbing on every rock we come across, but she is probably just humouring him.

Up in the town of Oamaru we took a walk up the old pier. Fishing used to be such big industry for this town that they actually built a railway line right to the end of the pier to cart away the fish. Those days, however, are gone and now the old tracks are rusting away along with the fittings such as this old railroad switch.

Sunset over Oamaru Harbour.

We had dressed up warm so that we could stay out after dusk in the hope of spotting some of Oamaru's Blue Penguin colony returning for the night.

The Blue Penguins have adapted very well to a town being built in their territory. They actually walk the streets at night and a large number have their burrows underneath the harbour buildings. Of course this means that anyone driving here at night has to be especially careful.

Our patient, and cold, wait for the penguins was finally rewarded when, by the light of the moon, we saw dozens of small silhouettes waddling up the beach. You can just make out one in the top left of this picture crossing a pile of pebbles to it's nest.