Hello 2012

We rang the New Year in at the Octagon in Dunedin, which is a central area in the city with restaurants, bars, and shops. They blocked the streets off and had live music. We had a great time celebrating and enjoyed the fireworks show afterward. New Years Day was packed full of activities. First we went to Cadbury World, to see the production of chocolate bars. The factory was very warm and smelled delicious. We saw one ton of chocolate being poured thru a vat, we sampled several different bars, and then bought some to take home. After chocolate overload, we went to the Dunedin Chinese Garden. While it might sound strange, we really enjoyed

the garden. It is one of only three authentic Chinese Gardens outside of China. Most of the garden was actually pre-built in Shanghai, dismantled, shipped, and reassembled in New Zealand. The garden certainly gave us a feeling of relaxation and peace. After the garden, we drove east to the Otago Peninsula for a dose of nature. The Royal Albatross Centre is located at the tip of the peninsula in the world's only mainland breeding colony. We went on a guided tour to view the giant bird which can have a wingspan of up to 10 feet. We saw an albatross nesting about 20 yards from where we were in the viewing center. We also saw two of the huge birds flying in from the sea. It is incredible how large these birds are. We wished we

could have seen a big fluffy chick, but this time of year is a bit to early for that. After the Albatross, we went to a private conservation reserve to see the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguins in their natural environment. We went along with a guide into covered trenches to see these cute little animals, without them knowing we were there. We saw several chicks, a couple pairs, and some juvenile's finding their way onto the beach. The chicks grow quickly and are already the size of their parents at 6 weeks, but with fluffy feathers instead of waterproof feathers. We enjoyed the tour and were really happy to have gotten so close to these wild creatures.