Friday 29 July - Omarau

We have made the decision to stay another night in Oamaru –   the beds are comfy, the welcome is warm and we could all do with some time in one place. We venture out into the town and visit the Whitestone cheese factory. We are able to watch the making process in the factory and enjoy tasting the finished producst in the little shop attached to the factory.
  

Oamaru has the best preserved collection of Victorian buildings in New Zealand. Most of these buildings are fashioned out of a gorgeous sand coloured local limestone and still used for the purpose for which they were intended. The Opera House was amazing. At 7pm each evening it put on a spectacular lightshow. The numerous fascia front windows were systematically lit in various colours.

 We spend time exploring the Victorian historic harbour and watching a limestone sculptor at work and then enjoy a rare treat of coffee, hot chocolate and cake "out".

We decide to try and find the elusive penguins in another spot and after lunch head further down the coast to Shag Point. Lots of sea birds, cormorants and shags, but no penguins. Very disappointed! We have been given several places to try so in the rapidly descending dusk and after a series of wrong turns up single track, very dodgy roads we locate the Moeraki Lighthouse and trek down the steep hill to a purpose built penguin hide. Very quietly we open the viewing windows and immediately are rewarded with the view of seals on the little beach below us and a handful of penguins hopping about on the rocks. They make a tremendous amount of noise as they head up the hill to their nests in the grass and bushes!