Dunedin, Taieri Gorge and the Albatross

Well what a day we have had. Having arrived at Dunedin yesterday we awoke this morning to bright blue sky and sunshine. We were booked to go on a railway journey through the Teieri Gorge. This was not a steam engine but a diesel and took in some scenery that you would not have been able to see unless you were on the train. The most exciting part was passing over the Wingatui Viaduct, 197m long and 47m above Mullocky Stream. It reminded me of the trains in the old wild west films that ran over valleys, almost on stilts.

We finished the day with a trip to The Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head (Pukekura). The albatross, which came over to New Zealand from the Chatham Islands laid its first egg in 1920 but it was not until 1938 that a chick was fledged successfully. We were lucky enough to have a guide to ourselves and were told that once the bird has left the nest it flies continuously never stopping on land for about five years and only comes back to Pukekura when it is ready to mate. Our guide told us that as it was very warm today there had been no sightings of the birds actually flying so imagine our delight that within seconds of us entering the hide an albatross flew towards us and returned several times. What a perfect day, we will always remember our visit to Dunedin. Tomorrow we are off to Te Anau.