Hey, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas holiday. I spent the long weekend in Dunedin, hanging out with sea lions, albatross, and good views. I am sorry, but this is an extra, EXTRA long post. I hope you enjoy it haha.

Queenstown to Dunedin

After work on Friday, I met up with my friend Jay and we drove down to Dunedin in his car. A little Suzuki Swift whom Jay named “Swifty.” She is a little blue car and at times, it was a struggle for her to get up steeper inclines but she did right by us.

The drive was pretty easy… although, I wasn’t the one driving. There were dark clouds off in the horizon the closer we got to Dunedin. Eventually, it started to pour rain. Jay is a very good driver, which I was thankful for.

Along the way, we drove through a few towns but were otherwise just passing by farms and paddocks. There were sheep. There were cows. There was not much else for some time.

As we got into Dunedin, it became very foggy. I was pretty fascinated with the fog. It looked very eerie – at times we could hardly see in front of us. It seemed to be the theme of the trip in Dunedin. It has been incredibly foggy here! I kept saying, “it looks so cool!!!” Jay didn’t care that much haha.

We planned to camp at Warrington Domain Freedom Camping which is a free camp site. Jay brought the tent – what a legend. The drive from Queenstown to our campsite was a little over three hours. We basically set up camp as it was getting dark and then went to bed. The sound of the rain and the waves crashing off in the distance soothed me to sleep.

I am starting to get a little better acquainted with camping. Back in Australia, I went camping for a couple of nights in a really deluxe setup with Gene. He had an air mattress and everything. This time, it was a little more Back to Basics. We slept on the tent floor with an open sleeping bag for extra cushion. We had blankets and pillows but that was about it. And it was honestly fine. It’s so cool that if you have a tent, you can just kinda… camp somewhere for free. IMAGINE!

Warrington Beach

Jay and I woke up early the next morning (7am). When brushing my teeth at the toilet block, I saw a sign that said there were a couple of resident sea lions at the beach.

Jay and I went to investigate.

We walked along and as we neared the end of the beach, I saw a woman coming down from a small trail. And then behind her… a sea lion seemed to be slowly chasing after her. Oh, my God! Haha. How fun is that?!

I began talking with the woman and she told me she is a Department of Conservation (DOC) volunteer. We began talking about the sea lion and how it’s pregnant and due to give birth any day now. We slowly made our way closer to the sea lion and observed her from a safe distance. I was shocked to see the sea lion so far away from the water. I’ve only ever seen them in the water or on the rocks. It was up in the bush, burrowed next to a large pile of pine needles. I honestly didn’t realize they could venture far up onto land like that. Wildlife continues to surprise me!

Side note: the woman had recently been beaten up by a ram… wild.

We must have stayed and chatted with the woman for forty minutes. Eventually, we parted ways. Jay and I hopped in Swifty and began our day. The first stop? Otago Peninsula.

Otago Peninsula and Royal Albatross

Otago Peninsula is a great spot for wildlife in Dunedin. Sea lions, fur seals, little blue penguins, yellow-eyed penguins, and royal albatross – oh, my!

Royal albatross are the third largest seabird in the world and Otago Peninsula is the only mainland colony of royal albatross in the world. Y’all know I love my rare wildlife things… so I had to check it out. I had read online that you could technically just see the albatross from the parking lot occasionally instead of paying $50 for a tour. Yes! We got to the parking spot at Taiaroa Heads and went to the free boardwalk, looking for albatross. There were so, so many birds flying around. They were everywhere! And yet, I wasn’t seeing any albatross. At one point, Jay thought he saw one laying on a faraway cliff but after zooming in on my camera lens, I still wasn’t sure.

Although… Jay spotted some sea lions (or fur seals?) down below! One of them was so cute. It slowly walked backwards along a giant rock and then plopped into the water.

Once in, it was twirling and spinning around. That sea lion was having a great time! I also have to give the caveat… for some reason, I find it so difficult to differentiate seals and sea lions. I THINK we were seeing sea lions? I don’t know.

Jay was very much the Spotter on this day because he also spotted two baby seals playing.

There were some very interesting birds far off in the distance with some seriously crazy hair haha.

We watched the seals for a while then went to use the toilet at the Royal Albatross Center. After the bathroom, Jay and I walked down a path to Pilot’s Beach to try and look for blue penguins. No dice (but there were more sea lions resting off in the distance).

And then… I decided I needed to buy tickets to go on the tour. I couldn’t help myself – I really wanted an up close experience with albatross! Jay said he’d think about it but by the time I bought my ticket, he bought one of his own.

The tour was pretty informative. We learned quite a few fun facts about albatross.

As I mentioned, they are the third largest seabird (wandering albatross are largest).

When they mate, they typically form a life-long, monogamous bond.

They can fly incredibly long distances – from New Zealand to Chile for instance. During that time, they won’t stop on land, but instead they’ll rest on the surface of the water.

The albatross colony on the Otago Peninsula hasn’t been around for very long – I think they’ve only been coming there for 100 years or something like that?

There are around forty pairs on the peninsula but most aren’t visible to the public.

Albatross live up to 30 years on average but the oldest recorded was actually 62!

Please note that while this bird may look like a seagull… it is much, much larger hahaha.

After the tour guide showed us the video, it was time to go see them. I was really excited as I thought we were going to be led down a boardwalk where we would be observing them pretty much up close. Unfortunately, we were basically led to a glass box where we could see four albatross incubating their eggs off in the distance. There were one or two albatross that kept flying back and forth and that was spectacular to see. They are massive with a wingspan of nearly nine feet! Their wings actually fold in half twice when they’re tucking them against their body.

We were able to observe the albatross for maybe thirty minutes and then it was time to head back down. By the time we got back to the parking lot, we saw the albatross fly overhead one last time.

It was a cool, informative experience. I wish it had been a little cheaper, especially since we weren’t really able to get a great view of the albatross… but the money also goes towards the conservation efforts of the albatross. It’s all worth it in the end!

Tunnel Beach

Jay mentioned he wanted to go check out Tunnel Beach. After the albatross adventure, that was our next stop. It ended up being one of the coolest spots of the day.

The formations at Tunnel Beach were really awesome. It reminded me a little bit of Albany in Western Australia or the coast of Oregon. Lots of cool, unique geological formations that have been smoothed and shaped by the power of the ocean.

For some reason, I didn’t think Tunnel Beach would have a legit tunnel, but it sure did!

We descended down a narrow tunnel and once we’d arrived at the beach below… there was a sea lion resting on a rock maybe ten feet from us.

We stayed for some time.

Jay was walking on top of a bunch of boulders. I snapped pictures of the sea lion and sat down on one of the boulders. It was funny to see people’s reactions to the sea lion as they came out of the tunnel. One person hadn’t seen it and she walked a little too close. The sea lion snapped to attention and growled. The girl was startled as anyone would be haha.

For the first time all day, the fog seemed to dissipate. The sun came out some more and slivers of blue sky peeked through. Hooray! I peeled off layer after layer as I started to warm up… especially on the incline leading back to the parking lot.

Before the hike was over, I saw a really pretty bird with a beautiful call!

Port Chalmers

After Tunnel Beach, we stopped at a sweets shop Jay had heard about. I got a chocolate bar and some kiwi-shaped lollies. Jay and I went to Subway to have a sandwich and then continued on to Port Chalmers.

Port Chalmers was very much a port town. We parked the car and I saw a mural of a ship fastened to a humpback whale.

We hiked up to a viewpoint and looked out into the distance. The views were mostly obscured by clouds. Jay wanted to go check out a nearby church. I knew my parents would love that so I happily agreed. The church was pretty cool looking. We walked along the perimeter of it and as we did so, someone in a car pulled up. As we got to the front of the church, the man asked if we wanted to have a look inside. Absolutely! We knew from posters around town that they were having a Christmas event later in the evening called “Christmas Cave”.

I didn’t snap any pictures of the inside because I wasn’t really that impressed haha. I have seen some incredible churches with loads of stained glass. This church hardly had any stained glass and the bits that did were a little underwhelming for me.

However, the man (I never did learn his name) told us a bit about the church and how it’s actually in its third iteration. Once upon a time, it was quite a small church but then burnt down. Then they built a second one and finally, a third. He had pictures of the first church which I thought was neat. There were also really old texts encased in glass.

He then took us to the “Christmas Cave” section of the church. He and other volunteers had set up a sort of “maze” with different rooms. One was a Christmas tree-filled room. One was a room decorated in all white. One had a bunch of gifts and a throne for Santa Claus who would be making an appearance. It honestly was really cute. He told me it was all non profit and that the money they made would be going back to the community. I thought that was excellent so I gave him a coin on my way out. It was such a random encounter – I’m glad we decided to check out the church.

Afterwards, I took Jay out to dinner at an AMAZING Japanese restaurant. I wanted to treat him since he drove us out to Dunedin and let me camp in his tent for two nights. Thanks, Jay! You’re a legend!

The miso soup was literally maybe the best miso soup I’ve had in my life!

Doctor’s Point

Our final journey of the evening was to head to Doctor’s Point. It was supposedly a penguin nesting area and as it gets dark out, you can see the penguins coming to shore.

There was a really cool cave that you could walk through to get to the other side of the beach.

We hung around for a while but as it got darker out, we realized the tide was getting too high. If we stayed in the section where the penguins supposedly came up on the beach… we would likely get stuck or have to clamber over a bunch of sharp rocks/boulders in the dark on our way back. It didn’t feel worth it to me, especially since Jay and I have both seen blue penguins in the past. Surely, there will be other opportunities in safer areas.

We did see a “ghost ship” as Jay called it before leaving, though!

Orokonui Creek Trail

In the morning, Jay and I went to go see if the pregnant sea lion had given birth to her pup. No sea lion in sight! We then went to to to Orokonui to try and see “the tallest tree in New Zealand.” We went for a walk on the Orokonui Creek Trail. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get to the tree because it was part of the Ecosanctuary and that was closed for the holiday weekend.

We did see a few tūī which made me happy! Jay wasn’t sure he had seen them before so I was delighted to point them out to him. He doesn’t really care about birds that much haha. We also saw some juvenile and adult takahē (below).

I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that you have to pay to see all this stuff in Dunedin. Why should I have to pay to see a tree? Or a bird? Or a penguin? Stop gatekeeping nature, people!!! Although, in a way I get it. It’s also to preserve the nature and wildlife. Sigh.

Nichols Creek

After Orokonui Creek, we went to another incredible place – Nichols Creek. I had read online about Nichols Creek Falls but then I also saw that there was a glow worm spot nearby, too. Jay and I walked along the trail to check out the glowworm gully. It wasn’t nighttime but I could certainly visualize it. While Jay was leaving later that day, I decided I would go back on Christmas to check them out.

We continued along the trail and went up to the waterfall. It was cute! Nothing overly impressive but I enjoyed it.

We clambered over some slippery rocks to get a closer view.

We admired it for some time and then took a long trail back down. Along the way, we saw a wood pigeon which was exciting for me.

After Nichols Creek, Jay and I went back to town for lunch. Afterwards, he dropped me off at my hostel and drove back to Queenstown. I didn’t do much the rest of the day – went to an Indian restaurant in the evening and read a little bit of my book.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day in Dunedin was bizarre. Literally everything was closed down. Restaurants, stores, even the busses weren’t running… which left me feeling stranded. It felt like I had the entire city to myself. There were so few people or cars around. There was one convenience store, Night ‘N’ Day which was my savior. Were it not for them, I probably would have starved haha.

I ended up having a chill day. I talked to my nephew, my parents, and my brother. I’m glad that even though I am thousands of miles away, we’re able to connect via phone.

Later, I got a surprise video call from Kory and my Perth friends. Nothing like a bunch of Australians shouting, “Merry Christmas, faggot!” at me while on speakerphone. Hahaha. They are all queer, too.

After catching up with everyone, I sat in the lounge room and finished reading this amazing book called Jillaroo. It is about an Australian farming family. Really, really good. I ended up trading it for another book at the hostel. I was hesitant to give it up because I enjoyed it so much.

My main objective for the day was to walk 1.5 hours back to Nichols Creek to check out the glow worms once it was dark.

Glow Worms

I decided to leave the hostel around 8.30pm. That would get me to Nichols Creek around 10pm and at that point it would be dark. Maybe ten minutes into my walk, it started to rain. Luckily, I had brought my rain coat with me. I considered turning around but I thought to myself, “no… I really want to check out these glow worms!”

It started off as a drizzle but got stronger along my walk. My waterproof hiking shoes were put to the test and eventually failed. I think it was less the shoes themselves and more the fact that my jeans were absolutely soaked and were dripping down to my socks… thus getting inside my shoes.

I listened to music for majority of the walk. I got there just before nightfall. As I entered Nichols Creek trailhead, I was soaked from my thighs to the soles of my feet. My rain jacket kept the rest of me dry (and my backpack, thankfully, which was under my jacket).

I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of the glow worms. When I had gone to the creek the day before, it seemed that it was a really great habitat for glow worms. Lush, wet, lots of moss.

I hiked up the incline to the glow worm spot. Small trails of water cascaded down the hill. I was wondering if this was maybe… dangerous? I took my time and everything ended up being fine.

By the time I’d gotten to the glow worm sign, I had begun to see them. Already, there were more than I had seen at Glowworm Gully.

Suddenly, they were everywhere. It was incredible! The glowworms looked like hundreds of blue-ish stars in the sky, although I wasn’t looking at the sky at all. They were all around me.

The rain continued to pour down but I carefully took my tripod out of my backpack and took a couple of long-exposure shots with my phone. Some glowworms were so bright, they were even able to show up on video which surprised me.

I stayed for some time, appreciating them. I was certainly in awe. Never before had I seen so many glowworms. I really was intent on seeing them this evening, as for me, they were serving as nature’s Christmas lights. Despite the rain, the water-logged shoes and socks… I’m glad I went.

I would have stayed for longer but I had a long journey back to my hostel and it was late. I also was very wet and desperately wanted to dry off. On several times during my journey, I took off my shoes and actually rung out my socks haha. What a mess I was!

I had to take a picture once I was a few minutes from my hostel to commemorate the crazy experience. I know I look feral but… I was very, very wet haha.

Moments later, I had stripped off my clothes and went to bed – DRY.

In the morning, I checked out of my hostel and hung around town for a bit. I caught up with my brother on the phone and then just waited for the bus. I always hate waiting for the bus – I worry that it’s not going to show up haha. But sure enough… it did. I even managed to fall asleep on the bus for a little bit which is rare for me.

My time in Dunedin was lovely. I want to go back in the future to try and see the blue penguins and the yellow-eyed penguins. While the duration of the trip was gloomy, cloudy, and occasionally rainy, I still had a wonderful time. Sea lions, royal albatross, glowworms, long walks in the rain, and of course: the ocean.

Miscellaneous

Once we’d gotten back to our campsite that second night, I was READY for bed. Unfortunately, two drunk bozos kept me up for longer than I would have liked. “Aw, get FUCKED!” the man said to the woman. “Ya fucken IDIOT.” “Oim knot an idiot!” she drunkenly shouted back at him. “Go back ta Willy Cook!” the man said. “You’re abandoning meeee!” The woman cried out as the man drove away. The woman proceeded to call her friend to come pick her up. “I’m by the toilets! Man, I don’t know, I’m wasted. WHERE ARE YOU?” Eventually, she got picked up after a very loud phone conversation. Later, the man came back and just blasted music for a while. I had gotten back to the campsite probably around 10.30pm and I bet all this wasn’t over until 1am. It was so bizarre. Entertaining… but also annoying.

I have a number of moments/thoughts I wanted to mention from back in Queenstown…

I have now been in New Zealand for over two months!

I finally jumped in Lake Whakatipu. The water was VERY cold but I’m glad I did it. It felt rejuvenating in a way.

While walking down the street one day, I smelled a fragrance that almost made me stop in my tracks. It smelled so much like my late paternal grandma – and yet the only person around was a younger woman. I would have been surprised if she was wearing the exact same perfume as my grandma but maybe the scent just had similar notes or something.

I fell like four feet down the side of a hill while looking for the aurora one night. I have GOT to watch where the hell I’m going. I’m lucky I didn’t break my ankle. I saw the aurora very briefly that evening but nothing compared to the other week! I did color-correct the image below a little bit just for fun. People edit their aurora pics so much sometimes and I wanted to see what mine could look like with some adjustments. It’s nice to play with it a little!

Another night, I sat in bed and was watching this scientist talk about aurora predictions for the following week. I’m turning into quite the aurora-obsessed nerd haha. It is fascinating for me.

There was a pretty moth in the hostel the other day. It seemed to stay in the same spot for 24 hours and then was gone. I was wondering if it was dead. It reminded me of a moth I saw on K’gari/Fraser Island.

Everyone at my hostel seems to have an HP laptop… just like me! Thanks again, Dad & Mom for getting it for me as an early Xmas present! Love you both!

Since I’ve been working at the hostel full time, I’ve had some nice feedback. One person told me she’s been at the hostel for eight months and it’s cleaner than it’s ever looked during her whole time here. That was really nice to hear. I am trying my best!

Another day, I was having some mi gooreng noodles for lunch and one of the other tenants put a bowl of soup in front of me. She told me it was a Filipino soup she made and she’d like me to try some. I was seriously so touched by her gesture. It was really unexpected and felt so genuine. The soup was delicious, too! Thanks, Yvonne!

Art of the Week

Reflections

I am so glad I was able to get out of Queenstown for the long weekend. While I am enjoying Queenstown, it’s nice to see new things. Dunedin is by the ocean and, well, I adore the ocean.

While it is/was Christmas time, it didn’t feel much like Christmas to me. I wish I could transport home to see my family and friends, but alas. I am going to try to plan accordingly and be home in time for Christmas next year. We’ll see if I can swing it.

However, I haven’t been feeling very alone. I remember a week or two ago, I was talking about how maybe I am meant to be isolated in Queenstown in order to work on my writing and art blah blah blah… and yet, I find myself forming a small little community somehow.

My friend Jose invited me to the lake the other day, where a bunch of people were hanging out. They had tightropes set up, some people were doing acrobatic yoga. Others were trying to balance on a plank of wood that was on a cylinder. I joined in on the fun – I attempted the balancing as well as the tightropes. I wasn’t very good but the group meets up every Wednesday. Maybe I’ll go back and become a circus freak before my time in Queenstown is over!

I also have been chatting with people at my hostel more. It originally felt very daunting to me. It was kind of like Mean Girls – there are a lot of cliques already set up at the hostel before I got there (the “plastics,” the “mean asian hotties,” etc. haha) and I can be so introverted at times. Striking up a conversation with new people is scary to me, especially if they’re in groups. And yet, in this role as hostel manager, I have to talk to people anyway so I’ve gotten a little more comfortable at doing it. Sometimes, when I’m eating in the kitchen, I’ll just join someone else’s table and start chatting with them. It’s still scary, but I think most people feel scared to make new friends.

Anyway… the other night, three of the Argentinian guys pulled out their guitars. They asked if I play or if I sing – I told them I’m not very good at guitar but I do love to sing. I ended up playing/singing a song for them. Later, we sang Don’t Stop Believing by Journey together as they played guitar. They also played a lot of Argentinian songs. It felt really nice. I’m happy to be making friends.

So, yes. Things are good! Anyway…

Sending you all my love.