After the stunning scenery of the past week, I didn't have high expectations of the last couple days, driving along the east coast up to Christchurch. But it proved to be delightful, and I saw many interesting things. I had to fly out of Christchurch because of the timing; flights from other airports in NZ had fewer flights and were more expensive. Christchurch was recovering from the big earthquake a couple weeks earlier, so I had changed my reservation to stay in Akaroa, on a peninsula southeast of Christchurch.
I drove from Te Anau to Invercargill, then along the southern route up to Dunedin. Again, it struck me that this place has not moved on since the 1960s...
At Invercargill, I wanted to see the Tuatura, and the museum there was the only place they were held in captivity. The Tuatura looks like a lizard, but is actually the last remaining dinosaur, and only survives on remote NZ islands where they have no predators. They are nocturnal, and so only one was outside his burrow. This guy did not move once, not even blink in the 15 minutes or so I was watching. His body was about 2 feet long, not including his tail. On the top of their heads, they have a spot, which is a 'third eye' capable of sensing weather, I'm told.
After that, I drove on, and found this lovely beach to stop and take a nap... because I wanted to listen to the waves while I napped, I left my window open. This proved to be a mistake, because when I woke up 30 minutes later, I was covered in midges (no-see-ums).... Later I counted over 50 bites!
After I brushed the midges off, I saw that next to the parking lot, there was a seal showing off for the tourists and campers...
Next stop was Curio Point, where there was petrified wood and yellow-eyed penguins. All over, there were signs that there was a penguin molting on the beach, which meant that until his feathers grew in, he couldn't go in the water, because he'd freeze to death. The signs warned people to stay 30 feet away from him, else he would feel threatened and go in the water, which would probably kill him. But it was great to see one; the rest wouldn't come out of the water until sunset.
Next was a little hike to a waterfall through a jungle....
Okay, I was still trying to experiment with the stuff I learned on my photo tour....
Some small town on the way, I passed this house with its yard completely covered with teapots and little figurines... Of course, the address had to be 23...
Got to Dunedin after dark, and had chosen a hotel 2 blocks from the center of town... only Dunedin is very hilly, and it was 2 blocks up the steepest hill in the world! Went to get a bite to eat, found a Thai restaurant, and then walked around a bit. Dunedin has a huge Scottish influence, and of course, a statue to Robbie Burns...
Next day, driving north again to Akaroa, I stumbled upon a sign for the Moeraki Boulders, so I checked it out... Amazing round boulders sitting on a beach.
Next I went in search of ancient Maori, which seemed so far, to be absent from the South Island... I was told that few Maori lived here; they mostly lived on the North Island, and just came here to get greenstone (jade). But I did find some Elephant Stones, and some cave art.
Unfortunately, there had been some vandalism at the first cave art site, and the second one was closed for some reason.
From 
Akaroa is a round peninsula southeast of Christchurch, with the only French colony being established there, which still has its French influences... It is a bay formed by an old volcano, and very charming. I stayed in this great cabin there, and felt a few fairly strong aftershocks while I was there.
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