Making our way out onto the Otago Peninsula we thought it would be prudent to call ahead to book onto tours. After a few minutes we thought our plans for the day, which involved whizzing round the Royal Albatross and Penguin centres and then heading off to Queenstown before sunset. We didn't bank on the birds not being around until 11.30 and 3.15pm respectively. This stumbling block, however, turned out to be the thing that made the day so successful. It meant that we had to find other things to do...thus we headed down a gravel road to Allen's Beach (no idea who Allen is or was but it's a nice stretch of land to own/have named in memory of you...) where the Lonely Planet said you can sometimes see some seals. Arriving over the windswept dunes all we could see was swirling sand and a few rocks. On closer inspection though, one of the rocks was the biggest Hooker's Sea Lion we have ever seen. It was clearly lazy or tired as it couldn't quite make it to the dunes and just kind of stopped midway up the beach. It must have weighed 200KGs plus (they can way up to 400) but didn't seem to mind us approaching him, although we clearly weren't going to go up and stroke him or anything like that...Before leaving the beach we found another 5 or 6 none as big, some as tired, some more lively. It was great fun and we got (yet more) great seal/sea-lion piccies.

The Royal Albatross Observatory is the only inland place where these magnificent, and frankly, huge, birds ever land. After a brief Attenborough narrated DVD we went up to a little bunker on Paraoia Head where some chicks currently reside. Now, with the parents only returning with food once a week, and with only 12 chicks around we thought our chances of seeing one fly was pretty slim but we did, on 3 occasions. A couple of things are a bit difficult to take in without seeing them in action - 1) they can fly up to 100km/h + and this is stupidly quick, 2)their wingspan can be anything up to 3.5m. Thus, they have to be seen to be believed. Their life cycle is a bit odd too, they leave their nests after about 5 months and then do not touch land again for anything up to 5 years. At that point they start having massive great albatross parties (there ain't no party like an a-bird party...) where they all strut there stuff for a month a year until some 3-5 years later they finally find a partner whom they mate with for life. The amazing thing is that the birds always arrive within a few days of each other despite not seeing each other for a year at a time. Something to do with magnets in the brain apparently. The birds are tagged and from this the wardens are able to tell that a 42 y.o. female has returned agian this year, having ditched her husband she is now with a 17 y.o. toyboy. I think they'd nicknamed her Demi, but I may have been mistaken.

Onqards then to Penguin Place - home to 2.5% of the worlds entire yellow-eyed penguin population (that's 100 out of 4000). They are the 3rd largest breed of penguin and did the usual penguin stuff, ate fish, swam alot, and waddled around in a stupid manner. It is an excellent centre with a number of warlike camoflaged hides and trenches. I half expected the penguins to start throwing grenades or opening fire with some light artilary but no such luck.

Our final stop for the day was Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. It is 161.1m long and 47.22 high which gives it an average gradient of 1 in 3.41. The steepest part is 1 in 2.86 apparently. we climbed to the top and took the obligatory photos. Although we didn't eat there there is a fantastically named restaurant in Dunedin - 'A Cow Called Bertha' - hopefully they didn't kill that American we saw in Rotorua, although there would be enough meat for a few months...We ended the day with a great stonegrill meal as we were up early today to make the trip to Qneenstown, which is where I am writing this from.

Queenstown is the self-styled adventure centre of the world. You can bungy, luge, raft, jetboat, the list is endless. It is really a resort town though due to the proximity of a number of ski-fields. We took time out to take in the scenery via Skyline (similar to Rotorua) and enjoyed some tremendous views of the lake, town and surrounding mountains. We also all had a go on the luge. Lynn beat Richard 2-1 whilst myself and Jen drew 2-2.