New Zealand 2014

We walked down a steep hillside to a viewing place
that overlooked a rocky shore with lots of sea lions and seals and many youngsters.


Then we walked down to the beach for a closer look.


Then we went up a hillside overlooking the beach. Here is where the yellow-eyed penguins hangout, sleep and nest. They have an unusual daily cycle. They spend the night on land. Then each morning they go out to sea to swim and fish. Each evening they return to land. For us it was about 7:00pm and dusk was approaching, so we got to see the penguins coming in from the sea.


Click here to see a short video of a penguin waddling up the beach.

A molting penguin. Apparently unlike other birds which molt a few feathers at a time, penguins molt all of their feathers at once. During this process, which takes 2-3 weeks, they stay on land.
A very young penguin.