We arrived in Dunedin on Friday afternoon. We stopped off a few times on the way, but we were here at about 2pm. We checked into the hostel, it's a really lovely place, it's old and huge, it used to be a hospital, there are so many hidden passages everywhere, it's quite easy to get lost! Our first stop of the afternoon was to Cadbury World, unfortunatley though it was only a small tour as the factory workers were still on holiday so we didn't get to see them making the chocolates :-( Anyway, we watched a short film then the guide took us inside the building, the smell of chocolate was so strong....yummy! She took us up to the chocolate fountain, which is where they drop a ton of chocolate in 30 seconds (or something), that was quite cool. We also got some free samples which we enjoyed and we bought some more chocolate in the shop there....chocolate is so much cheaper here than in Australia.

After that we took a walk to the railway station which is supposed to be the most photographed building in New Zealand, then we went to the supermarket for our dinner. Then it was pretty much an early night.

Yesterday we had a bit of a lie in, then took a walk into the city and had a look around. It really doesn't feel like summer here, the wind is really chilly even when the sun is out, and it is really windy here! We had to be back at the hostel in the afternoon for our wildlife tour, so we went back for lunch and then were picked up at 3.30. We had a bit of a drive to get to the conservation area, we had to drive right to the tip of the peninsula. As soon as we got out the bus, the wind just hit us, it was so strong as we were in a really exposed area, right on the top of a hill by the sea. We split up into 2 groups and our group walked through a field of sheep (actually we were blown down) towards the rocks where all the fur seals were. They have a little viewing station there so we were sheltered from the wind, we sat there for a while looking at the fur seals through our binoculars....they were pretty camaflagued by the rocks, but once you got used to it you could pick them out really well. It was amazing seeing them in the wild, there were loads of them, we saw a couple of bulls which were huge and there were also lots of pups too...so cute. We walked along to another viewing area and saw even more fur seals and birds (apparently the birds feed on the seals afterbirth so they are always hanging around....yuk). After that it was a big hike up the hill again, and then back down to the beach to see the yellow eyed penguins. It was quite steep coming down so we had to be careful what with the wind as well. When we got there we were lucky enough to see a few Sealions lazing around on the beach...the guide told us that they are not scared of people like the fur seals, but we had to be careful not to get too close as they like to play (and that can include biting!). They were absolutely huge, but really cute looking. Got some photos of them, then we headed along the beach to another lookout to see the penguins, there was already one that had just come out of the water and was hobbling up the beach, I love penguins, so it was great to see a wild one. It was headed up the cliff to where all their nests are based, so we walked up to another lookout by the hill and could see all the nests....and even some little chicks too. We were lucky enough to see a parent feed 2 chicks (by regurgatating the fish for them). It was a really cool experience. On the way back we walked by the Sealions again, they hadn't moved though, still in the same positions. We had another hike right back up the hill again, I tell you this holiday is giving me so much exercise, I'm going to be shattered by the time it finishes! Back to the bus, and then we headed for the Royal Albatross sanctuary. Again we were lucky to see a couple of these huge birds flying....they really are large, their wingspan is about 3metres. They can only fly when it is windy, which was definitely the case yesterday!! We didn't get back to the hostel until about 9.30, so we didn't get much done after that.

Today we started to walk to St Clair beach, we walked for about half an hour, but then the sky looked really dodgy and we weren't even nearly there yet, so we decided to turn back, and it was a good job we did, as soon as we got to the hostel it started to rain. We are just checking our emails now, and then later we'll go to the cinema. Tomorrow we are heading for Lake Takepo, our last destination before we head back to Christchurch.