Third Stop - Narnia and the Fairy Penguins

Our next place to stay was Oamaru, but on the way was a place called Duntroon. Here we could find the “Elephant Rocks.” It was a huge hilly field of enormous, oddly shaped boulders. Or for us, this was better known as the filming site for “Aslan’s Camp” in the latest movie version of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.” 

We all loved it here. It felt remote and wild and the lack of people, but the abundance of sheep made it seem even more magical. 

We roamed and explored for as long as wanted, which conveniently was about 30 seconds before it started to hail. 

Onward to Oamaru! We checked into our Holiday park and found we had good wi-fi, so the kids got to get on their iPads to connect with friends and family back home. 

Afterward, we went into town to explore. 

Oamaru was a surprise in a lot of ways. We came here to see the blue penguins. But, after all the wild beauty of the last few days, the sheer human pretty-ness of the Victorian coastal town was charming. Adorable restaurants and cafes, cobblestone streets, the wharf; we would explore more of this the next day. But, first up was dinner and to see the blue penguins return from their day at sea. 

This only happens at sunset, which is pretty late right now. So at 8:30, we were quietly in our seats to witness several hundred tiny (about 1 foot tall) penguins come out of the ocean and slowly hop up the rocks in groups of around thirty. When they reached the flat grassy area at the top, they would rush across and then duck under wooden walkways. From there, they would then make go way to their nesting sites. 

We weren’t allowed to take pictures or video, but we did buy a photo (included above), a postcard, and a couple of stuffed penguins. One of which makes made their distinct call. We would later come to regret that last purchase, as one of our children kept rolling on it in the night, triggering the call of the little blue penguin.