Our morning commenced as we steamed into Dunedin, the second largest city on South Island with a population of over 130,000 people. The city has a rich Māori, Scottish, and Chinese history. Even the name comes from the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh.
Once docked, we set out for various explorations around the Otago Peninsula, including a visit to the Albatross Centre to learn about and view a small breeding colony of one of the largest albatrosses in the world, the northern royal. Other guests set off on a unique tour called Nature’s Wonders to spot New Zealand fur seals, tiny blue penguins, and possibly a glimpse of the very rare yellow-eyed penguin.
Many of the remaining guests took a tour of the city’s gardens or just wandered around this quaint 160-year-old town to look at the Victorian and Edwardian architecture.
The afternoon was spent cruising back out to sea, where we were treated to two wonderful presentations from Macduff Everton, National Geographic photographer, and Paul North, undersea specialist.
