Places I love.
Taiaroa Head.
This shows Taiaroa Head from the north side of the harbour entrance.
The majesty of Taiaroa Head, at the southern side of the entry into the channel leading to Port Chalmers and Port Otago, is something all seafarers remember. On the Peninsula, it boasts being the home of the Albatross Colony. The high cliffs are virtually inaccessible so provide shelter for these birds, and a perfect place for them to breed. They also are the home of more fur seals, Little Blue Penguins and Yellow Eyed Penguins.
The seals feed here in the kelp beds and have the privacy needed to raise their young, a few hundred feet away, on a flat outcrop, where a cr�che is made each year, away from prying eyes.
Not all the seals appreciate their afternoon nap being disturbed, and this one was quite vocal. It had made its bed on the grass, right on the edge of the path that we had to walk along to go and look at the others!
We returned late one evening, to watch for the Little Blue Penguins coming in to nest. As the sun set we could see them milling about in the waves, slowly making their way ashore. Eventually a wave broke on the shore, leaving them stranded. They paused to compose themselves and then hurried up the beach to their burrows. Some had a short distance to go, others had a long climb, up the track, almost to the road. They can nest at incredible heights and will walk up to a kilometre to their favoured place. These are the smallest penguins in the world.