Rare Yellow-eyed Penguins

We start our day with a coffee. A true luxury when trying to be frugal! Speaking of luxury, meat here is dirt cheap compared to fresh vegetables and fruits! (500g minced beef costs 3Fr!!! A small avocado also costs 3 Fr)
We drive all the way to Ivengarcil and visit the Southland Museum and Art Gallery there. A collection of wonderful paintings, interesting Maori history, bloody colonization history, sporty rugby info, and a 110-year-old Tuatara (species of reptile)! We really enjoyed it.
Another point of our trip is Stirling Point in Bluff. A promontory with a small lighthouse at its tip. We can spot huge seaweeds in the water from the shore... My worst nightmare.
On the way back, I have to make a full stop. Kay shouts, 'Stop, there's a penguin!' Indeed, a small penguin is walking along the road. Cute.
But there is still more wildlife waiting for us today! We drive to Curio Beach. We also camp there in the peaceful campground. When we arrive, we can already see the dolphins in the water from the reception and we are completely fascinated by how many there are and how close the playful animals come to the shore.
After dinner, we go to the nearby bay. Unfortunately, the sunset is obscured by a hill. Nevertheless, this bay is a highlight for us. There are fossilized trees to be seen and even fossilized leaves on the rocks, but the coolest thing is to observe the rarest penguin species in the world in their natural habitat. The Yellow-eyed Penguins. We spend about 2 hours by the sea in cold wind and fading daylight and can only spot 2 penguins. However, it is still a pleasure to watch them waddle. Unfortunately, we are again bothered by the ignorant tourists, as some are standing right next to the penguin and circling it, despite the signs everywhere clearly stating that one should not go closer than 10 meters to the penguins. This is bad, as it could cause the penguin to panic and leave its hungry family, which is waiting for it in the bushes, alone. Fortunately, he returns safely to his nest despite the tourists.