Pretty rubbish sleep but we’re moving on today with not too arduous a drive

To start our day, we have a brief stop at The Hungry Hydro – a small coffee stand on the road – before driving round to Benmore Hydro Station (see the featured image)

After, we get on the road and reach a small town called Duntroon where we have a stop to grab a coffee at The Flying Pig Cafe and explore the local area

There’s the Brewery Hole next to the cafe – this is a sink hole where a brewery once stood and has this steampunk moa statue by it

As we fancy stretching our legs a bit more, we have a wander around the Duntroon Wetland Walk

The walk allows us to do a loop of the natural greenery nearby and take us back to the main road of the town where the historic Duntroon Gaol (jail) is

With coffees finished, we get back on the road and take a scenic detour to pass Elephant Rock and the Valley of the Wales before reaching Oamaru

We have a brief stop at McDonald’s here for some lunch

This is the town we’ll be staying at but can’t check in yet so pop to visit the Oamaru Public Garden – they have a variety of gardens here as well as an aviary with some ring-necked doves

As it’s still early to check in, we take the opportunity to go and visit Bushy Beach Scenic Reserve which is a little south of the town

Here, there is apparently a colony of yellow-eyed penguins that frequent the beach and cliffs but they only come around dusk when it gets dark – while we visit, we get to wander between some dozing fur seals

By now, we’re able to check into a newly created Booking.com listing which is a granny flat behind a main house on Tyne Street – we check in, drop our bags and have some complimentary bubbles before getting out to explore the town

We see the outside of Steampunk HQ, as this is the steampunk capital of NZ, meander through the Harbourside Gardens and over the Oamaru Creek Suspension Bridge

After, we realise we’d completed the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail… by car (as there’s a big photography point) ???? and then walk up and down Holmes Wharf

We then stumble on the town’s big Christmas tree, stroll up and down Thames Street before happening upon a meeting of local bagpipe-ists practising in Harbour Street – they’re hosting a late night and Christmas themed shopping event tonight

Getting hungry, we head to The Last Post, Restaurant & Bar for some dinner; the poster opposite us had English railway advertising with one being about Leamington Spa!

We still have some time to kill before the main reason why we’re visiting Oamaru so have a pint in Scotts Brewing Co. before strolling around the esplanade

At around 10 pm, we get sight of some little blue penguins!

We’re here for over an hour as more come under the sheath of darkness in an attempt to go home after feeding out at sea