Dunedin, what a beautiful city – tucked into the lush hills of south New Zealand, it was built on massive wealth from a gold rush in the 1860’s. The prosperous times hit a wall when the gold ran out, then the city got smacked down again when the Panama Canal gave ships an alternate (and much shorter) route. But the grand architecture survived, and with its fascinating history, Dunedin is worthy of a visit.

But this blog is about our trip down the Otago peninsula to the Royal Albatross Centre to see the little blue penguins. The drive is typical NZ, twisty roads with water on one side and steep hills on the other, but once you’re at the tip of the peninsula it’s a different world.

The scenery is stunning – towering cliffs, waves crashing on the rocks, an endless view over the ocean as the sun sets. And the viewing platform is scant meters from the only mainland royal albatross breeding colony in the world. We were standing at the cliff edge, and an albatross came soaring past, maybe thirty feet from us. So close we could see him staring at us, giving us a what-are-you-doing-here look.

Then off to see the penguins – they come in after dark from a day of feeding in the ocean as the trek across the beach to their burrows is pretty scary. Most things probably are when you’re only 8 inches tall. It’s a safety-in-numbers thing, and they arrive on the beach in “rafts” – groups of up to fifty penguins. They’re all flippers and waddle once they hit the sand, moving at top speed, heading for the safety of the dunes and tall grass.

Cuteness rating – 10 out of 10.

We definitely recommend this if you’re anywhere near a penguin colony. We loved it.