A week in between
After our trip to the Sub-Antarctic Islands, we arrived back in Dunedin on Thanksgiving.  We had heard there was a
colony of Yellow Eyed Penguins on the Peninsula north of Dunedin. So we headed up there for a tour of these rarest of
all penguins. We had seen them twice on Enderby, but I never got the photo I wanted. I was hoping to get some real
good pictures at Enderby this time. The Expedition Leader told us we could sit on the edge of the beach and watch them
come in until eight p.m.. They come in more in the evening. Unlike some of the other penguins who are almost totally
unphased by our presence, these guys are shy and skittish. I was seated there waiting to take my pictures. We were
almost the last ones on the beach  at 6 p.m. when they came and told us the weather was changing and asked if we
would go. So we went. We watched as the wind almost flipped the zodiac with only a driver in it. We got in and my weight
made it fine.

We did have an unusual quality viewing of this colony with the advantage of blinds and lots of good luck. There was just
one thing that ticked me off. Everyone of them had a band, and they all kept the band in my direction. Nevertheless, I
have decided to share these pictures. One interesting thing about these Yellow Eyed Penguins, they did not have that
same pissed off look that was common to the ones we saw at Enderby--a product of their shyness.
From the Yellow Eyed colony
we went on up to the end of
the peninsula where there was
an amazing display of
cormorants and Royal
Albatross. They were flying by
the thousands all over the
place. Pictured below are
some of the cormorants, in
particular those with nests and
young.
In one nest there were three babies, with
one getting all the food.
From Dunedin we flew
to Auckland for 30
hours. We rented a car
and drove to the west
side of the North Island
and hiked out to this
view with a bench where
we sat for over an hour.
We heard birds loudly
(which is everywhere in
NZ), but rarely saw
them. This looked like
virgin forest (see
below). The next
morning we drove into
Auckland and I was
disappointed with what I
found to be a rather
ugly city with dark
streets. I enjoyed
Santiago much more.
From Auckland we flew
to Santiago for six
days. The Santiago
region reminds of
southern California.
The same dry mild
climate. The very same
irrigated crops and
gardens.
From Santiago, we
went to Valparaiso for
a day. Along the way
we stopped at a winery
owned by the same
company that grows
the same label in Napa
and Chile with the
country of origin
clearly marked on
each. Jackie looks a
little worn in the picture
above, but you can
see the smile at the left
which has been more
typical in Chile.
Santiago is a very nice city of about 15,000,000. It has a lot of characteristics like LA, but some which are nicer. There
are lots of high rises (ten stories and slightly more). In between are wide spaces and lots of cultivated gardens. There is
an excellent mass transportation--a subway and half the lanes on the major streets are HOV lanes exclusive for buses
and taxis. There are no strip malls.

For Jackie, the best thing about Valparaiso and Santiago was the abundance of fresh fish. I took her to the Central Fish
market, a huge place. This picture shows only a small fraction of the market and the fish restaurants capable of feeding
hundred and hundreds of people--filled to capacity at 2 p.m. every afternoon.
From Santiago it is off to the Falklands very early Saturday morning. We arrive in Perth on January 7th.