Cruise Day #42 - Dunedin, New Zealand

Last night, the ship almost didn’t make it out of port. The wind and seas were blowing like crazy! On our first attempt to navigate the narrow harbor exit, the winds kept pushing us back toward the pier. Eventually, two tug boats had to push us sideways to get us clear of the harbor. Once we were out… boy did it start rocking! The waves were huge 🌊 The Captain later announced we were in 6-meter seas — and that it would stay that way throughout the night.

Despite the motion, we had an amazing dinner at Solis. We both started with the Lobster Ravioli (sorry, no photo!), which somehow tastes better every time we have it. We then shared the Branzino al Sale (baked in salt crust) — so good. 

Dessert was Bourbon Vanilla Gelato with macerated berries… wow!

Afterwards, we listened to the band in The Club until it was time for the show in the Grand Salon. The music was great (several Bruno Mars hits 🎶), but the seas were way too rough for dancing!

The Seabourn Singers and Dancers performed another fantastic show. The place was packed, and it looked like everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

This morning we docked in Port Chalmers — and honestly, we were surprised the ship made it in. The seas were still very rough until we began our approach to the tiny port. And it was POURING… sideways rain ☔💨

We were up early for our excursion, which met downtown in Dunedin, about 30 minutes away. We checked with our tour operator, Clearwater Wildlife Tours, to make sure it was still on. Rachel, the owner, assured us that the penguins, fur seals, and sea lions don’t mind the rain!

So off we went on the free shuttle into town, where we met Rachel and our guide, Quinn. Along with us was another couple from the ship (San Diego), plus three shoreside couples — one from the UK, one from Australia, and one from the Netherlands.

And I must add — the rain and wind never stopped all day. Most of the time it was blowing sideways!

During the 75-minute drive out to the Clearwater sheep farm, we saw loads of birdlife — including hundreds of black swans (introduced from Australia years ago). Other sightings included:

Pūkeko

Paradise Shelduck

Spur-winged Plover

Pied Oystercatcher

White-faced Heron

Royal Spoonbill

Pied Stilt

Red-billed Gull

Unfortunately, photos were nearly impossible in the wind-blown rain.

Once we reached the coast, we hiked down to a covered blind to view New Zealand sea lions, New Zealand fur seals, and the rare Yellow-eyed penguin. 

We only spotted two penguins, but plenty of sea lions and fur seals. Again, photos were a challenge, but I managed to get a few 📸

I could not get a photo of the penguins, this one is courtesy of Google. 

After about an hour, we headed back to town and caught the shuttle to the ship.

Tomorrow we’re scheduled to visit Stewart Island — and rain is not in the forecast… fingers crossed! 🤞