Another windy day, but it’s not raining.  Before we left Portobello we went a couple of km up (or down) the road and did a boat trip out into Otago harbour, and the sea beyond, in search of albatrosses.  Taiaroa Head, at the tip of the Otago Peninsula, is a royal albatross breeding ground, the only place in the world where these birds nest on a mainland, and guess what?.  Not open until 1^st November.  Any way this boat – the Monarch - was once a fishing boat, then a ferry and now a tour boat.  The good thing about this time of year is that there are not many people on the road – and there must be thousands of campervans available for hire.  They have RV sites here – just for vans.  I digress, so there were 8 people on our little trip. Paul would like you to see a couple of bunkers.

This is spotted shag (Stictocarbo punctatus) nesting site.  They get their name from the spots that appear at the end of their feathers in the breeding season.  We didn’t get close enough!  The individual nests are mounds of mud.

They also build their nests on rock ledges.  Very difficult to get good shots as boat very up and down.  Got yellow feet and blue bit near the eye.  Also have an obvious double, mohican like, crest during the breeding season.  You can just about make out one crest in the LH photograph.

Dozing fur seals

Interesting volcanic ash and lava flow on the left.  Vertical cliff face reveal typical rocky shore zonation.  Desiccation resistant tufted lichen or seaweed at the top, barnacles, brown seaweed.

Bull kelp and huge holdfast.

Many attempts made to get a photograph of the one solitary royal albatross flying at sea, we won’t bore you with all the shots, make sure your glasses on.

Part of the wildlife…

Another shot !!!!

And here we have the royal albatross – don’t blink..

Not sure if these gulls were nesting or not, but a lot of them about.

Looking back towards Taiaroa Head.