The Penguin Day
We drove from Dunedin to Oamaru specifically to see the penguins. The expedition manager had stated very clearly at the outset that she wished to see blue fairy penguins returning to the shore. As it happens Oamaru is one of the places this is guaranteed to be possible.
We arrived in Oamaru fairly early and mad our way to the blue penguin colony HQ where we purchased tow tickets for the evening show at £16 per head. My view was that they better be doing a very good cabaret act as well as swimming out of the sea for that sort of money.
We then set off for our campsite arriving just a little before the German stalking family and settled into our site. We had noticed in reception that we could catch a bus to the penguin colony and enquirer about the price which was $20 a head so we retired to expedition HQ to discuss the pros and cons. In order to make our minds up we we for a walk around the civic gardens in Oamaru which were beautiful and decided I passing that we would take the bus as we could leave the van parked up and plugged in. In addition Vanessa isn't too sure about being driven at night.
The advert said the bus left at 6.45pm but when I bought the tickets the lady daid that pick up would be at 6.30, as a result we had to rush both cooking and eating tea and in a most slovenly manner had to leave the washing up until we got back. We arrived at the designated pick up place on time but the bus was ten minutes late.
We then proceeded to travel around Oamaru picking up other tourists who were desperate for a sight of the blue penguin. On the way to the penguin viewing the driver stopped the coach outside two fine  looking Victorian buildings and told the whole coach that these were fine examples of neo gothic architecture. Who was I to point out that they were in fact fine examples of neo classical architecture and that one had Doric columns and that the other had Corinthian. I decided to hold my peace.
We were then taken to see the yellow eyed penguins arrive home for their evening with the family.this entailed a five minute walk along a cliff top to a viewing area where about sixty other people had  gathered. We saw three penguins and one of them was kind enough to cross the beach at a point where the expedition photographer could get a picture of it. When I enquirer how many penguins were nesting on this beach I was told at the last count there were twelve nests therefore we had see one eight of the total penguin population.
We were told to be back on the bus at 8.15 and I pointed out to the driver that when we. We had bought our very expensive tickets we had been told not to be later than 8.00 the driver assured me we would be in plenty of time. As it turned out we arrived at 8.30 after the show had begun, but luckily for us no. One had told the penguins and they didn't arrive for another twenty minutes. It was quite amazing to see, they arrive in a raft ,of about twenty ,out of the sea as though they had just been thrown onto the beach. They then make their way cautiously up the foreshore before crossing a narrow beach and disappearing into their nesting area. All of this is done in orange light as apparently penguins cannot see orange light.
All in all we saw about a hundred penguins arrive and disperse. Penguins are rather funny birds with a comical walk and a hilarious run at yet there is something very endearing about them, which I suppose is why so. Many people want to see them and of course it was makes them expensive to see. We then  returned to the bus and were taken on a circular tour as we dropped other tourists off before getting back to our base and had cheeses and biscuits for supper discussing all the time our penguin experience.