Tag 88-89 Cape Palliser

But we were not done with our journey through Middle-earth yet. The next morning, we hiked through the Putangirua Pinnacles with their awe-inspiring stone columns and embarked on the Path of the Dead, which Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli had already taken on their way to Dimholt. In the afternoon, we continued to Cape Palliser, a lighthouse straight out of a storybook that could only be reached by a 448-step staircase. At the base of the lighthouse, seals frolicked in the water and on land. While the adults practiced synchronized swimming and daring jumps from the water, the juveniles played around on the rocks and annoyed their parents. Another highlight of our trip was seeing many rare native birds, feeding giant eels, witnessing a wild kakariki (parrot similar to the Kea) feeding, and marveling at the only white kiwi 'Manukura' (not an albino!) in captivity at Pukaha Mount Bruce.