Tonight was amazing. Well worth the almost three hour bus ride to get there. Had a young bus driver that had a great sense of humor and he helped make the trip go fast.He took us to see a field of Roos. I wanted to see the big Roos in a pasture. Mission accomplished.
We then went to Philips Island. The sea shore views were the best I’ve seen this trip. It is what I expected New Zealand to look like. If it does we didn’t see that part. They had a long boardwalk you could walk on and see the beach from different angles. That alone would have been worth the trip tonight. We must have walked several miles on the boardwalks.
We went down to the penguin parade viewing area. At 8:33 they started coming ashore. They are fairy penguins. Only about 12 inches tall with White bellies and gray backs. They came ashore in groups of 7 – 12 at a time. They have the cutest waddle and made cute sounds. The babies in the burrows were calling to their parents. The parents were calling to their mates. They estimated about a thousand came ashore tonight.
We watched wave after wave of them come in. They were so cute. Everyone watching had big smiles on their faces while they watched them.
Slowly the stars started popping out. I ask one of the rangers to show me the Southern Cross and he pointed it out to me. The moon was about 3/4 full and shining bright. By the time we left the night sky was full of stars.
This night was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. Even if it makes the long trip home a bit harder it was so worth it. Being outside, under the light of the moon and the stars, watching the penguins, and being with my daughter brought me to tears. One of those moments I will think of often and it will put a smile on my face every time!
We have to be on the bus before 8:30 in the morning to start our trip home. We fly from Melbourne to Auckland and then to LA and finally to KC. If all goes according to plan we arrive in KC at 7:30 Monday evening. Sounds like an 11 hour day but have to add 17 hours to that to adjust for all the time zone changes.
Lots of changes in store for me. Losing both of my long term guests will be an adjustment. The house will feel big and empty with just me in it. I haven’t been alone in my house since my sister came in Jan 2017. Having an empty house feels like it gives me more options and possibilities.