We left Manapouri around 08:15 and drove straight to Dunedin arriving about 11:30 at the information centre. We booked an hotel and a trip to see Yellow Eyed Penguins at 17:15. After registering at the hotel we walked up to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust offices, but they were closed. We spent a little while shopping (for penguin shirts etc. - what else?) before driving to the Otago Peninsula for lunch.
After a picnic lunch, we went to a pottery where we bought a pottery Yellow Eyed Penguin, which now sits on our mantelpiece. We then drove down to the end of the road and took a track to the beach where we saw a single YEP. He walked out of the sea (we didn't actually see that part) and preened himself before walking up the cliffs. We were especially fond of this penguin as he was the only one we found all by ourselves. No-one told us where to look, we just figured out this was a likely place and sat down and waited for the penguin to come in from the sea.
We had to leave to go to Penguin Place to see all the YEP's there. We saw a lot of penguins including a pair of chicks very close up. The place is well arranged with hides joined by covered walkways so that you can approach the penguins without being seen. As a tourist attraction it is a very good conservation project. We certainly got closer to the penguins than we did on Enderby Island. After viewing the penguins close up we went to another area where we could see penguins on the beach. Overall it was a better experience than we had expected.
When we returned to the hotel we both had baths - our first since before getting on the Academik Shokalski four weeks ago! The baths were very much appreciated. We went out for a Mexican meal later; again the contrast with the food of the last few weeks was most refreshing.
