Alpine parrots and flying penguins

So this blog post is bird themed. It’s about time since, after all, there are no indigenous land mammals in NZ. If you like ferns, birds, and one-way bridges, you would love it here.

After our kayaking adventure, we traversed the west coast of the south island towards some glaciers. We visited Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, and then were stranded in Haast (pop. 7.5). Their “24 hour” gas pump (sorry, petrol station) was out of commission, forcing us to wait until morning to gas up and continue over the Haast Pass en route to Queenstown.

Queenstown offers an enormous amount of adventure for those adrenaline junkies with deep deep pockets. We, on the other hand, found our thrill on the gondola, where sheep frolic on the steep steep steep hills below. It was slightly nerve-wrecking.

Milford Sound was beautiful, but cold and wet (it also snowed). Although the low clouds prevented us from seeing all there was to see, there were many notable moments. For instance, Emily and a wild kea (the only alpine parrot in the world) sang a duet. Numerous others hopped on our car and side mirrors, hoping for snacks and startling us. Also, we literally drove through a mountain in a frightening one-way tunnel, where the traffic light changes every 15 minutes but only from 9am to 6pm. We drove through at about 8pm.

Next stop: Invercargill. Elapsed time: 17 minutes. It really wasn’t that exciting, and unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to make it to Stewart Island. Plus, we were itching to see penguins.

Enter, the Catlins. We saw penguins. It was grand. And not just any penguins, but the worlds rarest: the yellow-eyed penguin. And we were blessed to see them (from our hidden location- these penguins are shy) waddling and hopping ashore after a day spent out at sea. Special special special. As an added bonus, we no longer have to tell people we spotted the elusive flying penguin (aka magpie).



We are currently in Christchurch after visiting Dunedin and avoiding the fact that our NZ road trip is nearly over.

Words of advice from Constable #3876, “A lot of sheep get out. Please drive carefully.”