With Maddison away we decided to travel back to Dunedin and visit the chocolate festival, along the way we planned to visit the Blue Penguin Colony at Oamaru. Setting off after church, Grant preached as Nick was away, we journeyed to Oamaru to see if we could book the penguin visit either Sunday or Monday evening at 5:30pm when they come back after spending the day fishing. So at the i-centre we signed up for the Sunday viewing. They also told us about the rare yellow eyed penguins that came back from feeding at 3:30pm and pointed out on the map where we could find them.
There was some time left before either sets of penguins cane back so we went for a ride on the Oamaru diesel railway. 
While we were riding the snow started, just flurries but quite heavy at times. After a meat feast pizza from Dominoes we headed out to the Yellow eyed penguins. The snow was falling quite heavily at this point so I bravely let Geoff go on his own to see the penguins, and he did! There was one in the flax.
From here we drove to the blue Penguin Colony and a hot chocolate at the restaurant next door while we waited. On talking to the staff at the colony we were disappointed to hear the road to Dunedin was closed. After we had seen the penguins return (about 50 of them), they are 30cm tall and weigh 1 kg we cancelled the hotel in Dunedin (I had booked the Chocolate Room) we went looking for an overnight spot so we could go to the shop at Moeraki Boulders and get gifts for the family.
We managed to get the last room at one of the motels but when we woke up the road to Dunedin was closed!
Sorry no penguin pictures . . . you aren’t allowed to take them, to maintain their natural habitat
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