Vitamin Sea on the East Coast

After our trip inland in New Zealand, we continued south along the east coast.

We crossed the small but fine town of Oamaru. Near the harbor, we strolled through a Victorian quarter where many artists and free thinkers operate their galleries and fascinating shops.

We also strolled through the beautiful public garden of the city, which offers many babbling waterfalls and small bridges and is a great place to simply relax.

The main reason for our stay in Oamaru, however, were the rare Yellow-eyed Penguins. A few kilometers outside the city, there is a colony of very rare yellow-eyed penguins. They come ashore every afternoon to feed their young. The New Zealand Conservation Department closes the entire beach to protect the rare birds and has built a few hidden shelters in the cliffs so that you can observe the animals discreetly. After waiting for a few hours, we finally saw a little black dot running towards the bushes. Unfortunately, the bird was so far away that we couldn't really see the yellow eyes.

Somewhat disappointed, we continued towards Dunedin.

Dunedin is the 6th largest city in New Zealand and seemed huge to us. We explored the lively city center. But after two days, we were already on the move again.

After our city trips, we made a great discovery. A fantastic beach a few kilometers outside the city. On the evening of our arrival, we set off to explore the beach. After Domi forgot something, I continued and was just climbing over some rocks on the beach when I looked up and saw the sleepy eyes of a sea lion. In shock of standing in front of such a large animal, I quickly ran to Domi, who didn't believe me at first.

After the sea lion took the best spot to watch the sunset, we found another spot and watched as the sun slowly said goodnight.

On the next day, my big day had finally come. The temperatures were hot, the waves were good, and the board was ready. After carrying our board with us for our entire trip, I finally wanted to give it a try.

Of course, I imagined it to be easier than it actually is. With Domi's help, I managed to ride a few waves. But I still have a long way to go before I can actually surf. Thankfully, we still have a few weeks to practice before heading back home. My goal is to at least stand on the board once in New Zealand - let's see if I can do it. I'll keep you updated.