The South Island exclusive files: seaside

In the past few months, I extensively wrote about my peregrinations around the South Island of New Zealand, from beaches to mountaintops. Between November and April, I volunteered, I climbed, I hid, I drove… I had a good time!

I published a great many articles, but they didn’t cover everything: sometimes I didn’t feel like I had enough material to write anything, or I just didn’t feel like it. That said, I still have pictures I’d like to show you, hence this article, dedicated to coastal areas of the island, and its follow up, dedicated to the highlands.

Ready?

Oamaru

On my trip south to catch the ship to the Subantarctic Islands, I stopped in Oamaru, a sleepy (at least on a Sunday evening) town known for its Victorian precinct and its penguin colonies.

Little penguin (Eudyptula minor)

Otago and Southland

Further south, I encountered the funny Moeraki boulders and some more scenery on the Catlins coast

Yours truly at the southernmost point of the South Island

South Island oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi)

South Island oystercatcher

Further readings: Curio Bay and Nugget Point, the most spectacular places of the Catlins.

Banks Peninsula

Fast forward two months: after India, I came back to New Zealand and spent a day on the Banks Peninsula. It’s a spectacular place with narrow, twisting roads on the slopes of two neighbour calderas. Akaroa, the main town, was a French settlement, and it still cultivates that heritage.

Dunedin

I spent two months in Dunedin, and I loved it ❤

Tunnel Beach

Variable oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor)

European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus)

Variable oystercatcher

Variable oystercatcher

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Eurasian greenfinch (Chloris chloris)

White-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)

Sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)

Sinclair Wetlands

A remarkable area not far from Dunedin, rich in birdlife and known for its fernbirds.

Common redpoll (Acanthis flammea)

Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)

New Zealand fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)

Silvereye

New Zealand fernbird (Poodytes punctatus)

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

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BIRD INVENTORY