If you've been to a zoo or a botanical garden, you've no doubt also noticed signs advising guests where to buy food to feed the ducks in a pond. Surprisingly, it was free at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, which was a first for us. It was such a smart idea, so people didn't bring unhealthy bread for the ducks.
The bronze Wendy and Her Attendants, depicting Wendy Darling surrounded by the Lost Boys, was sculpted by British artist Cecil Thomas and installed in 1966.
The sole reason we'd visited the Garden was to see the unusual Amorphophallus titanum, nicknamed corpse plant, in the Winter Garden Glasshouse, which was constructed in 1908. The plants are normally found within the dense rainforests of Sumatra.
The plant earned its nickname, as it is renowned for emitting a pungent odor to attract pollinators such as carrion beetles and flies. The compounds that create the odor have been identified as smelling like cheese, garlic, smelly feet, diapers, or rotten fish! When one of the garden's 35 iconic specimens famously flowered in 2018 and 2021, it attracted massive crowds because it typically spends years producing just a single, tree-sized leaf. As the blooms are highly unpredictable and only last for about 36 to 48 hours, garden curators continuously monitor their size and weight to anticipate when one will emerge from its dormant corm or bulb.
When we didn't spot it, I asked the only employee we saw anywhere in the vast garden where it was. Fortunately, I noticed him as he was leaving the elegant conservatory. I was so disappointed when Ben, who was born in China, told me that the plant was now dormant and in the propagation facility. He very kindly agreed to send me photos he'd taken at the garden in 2021.
Looking at this from the half-full glass, we were at least lucky that we found Ben as he was leaving the glasshouse, that he had photos of the rare plant, and was willing to share them! Imagine being one of the lucky few to see a blooming corpse plant.
Naomi: These gorgeous roses would certainly give the ones we saw a couple of weeks ago at Littleton's War Memorial Rose Garden a run for their money, don't you think?!
The stone and steel pillars were inspired by the Māori koru design, which represented a fern frond.
We had been impressed by the memorable garden, even though we only had time to view a small portion of it before moving on to Ōamaru, 90 minutes north, described as one of the country's best-kept secrets.
We stopped en route in the small town of Palmerston for coffee and a sweet - I'll leave you to guess who had which at McGregor's Tea Rooms! The town had been the coach stop for people and supplies heading to Central Otago's gold fields in the 1880s and 1890s. The 1903 War Memorial featured a sculpture of Zealandia, the daughter of Britannia who became popular as a personification of nationhood at the end of the 19th century. I read online that her arm was upraised, either pointing to heaven or in a gesture of triumph. The wreath in her other hand might be seen as a concession to the dead or perhaps as a salute to victors.
Ōamaru's population of approximately 14,000 shared the land with populations of little blue kororā penguins and the extremely rare yellow-eyed hoiho penguins.
Shots of the lookout at Kātiki Beach on the outskirts of Ōamaru:
Five kms further on was Fur Seal Viewpoint in the Kātiki Historic Reserve, where we were advised that Kāi Tahu, the local indigenous tribe, had mana whenua, or authority, over the majority of the South Island. In the reserve were the archaeological remains of an ancient pō or fortress, the site of a major 19th-century battle.
As we walked along the path, we caught sight of the Moeraki Lighthouse, built in 1878 following several accidents on the reefs around the area.
As many New Zealand coastal species have long had a safe home on the headland, visitors had a responsibility to help ensure it remained a safe place for wildlife to live and breed. One rule stipulated that no food or drink could be consumed to respect the area's cultural significance.
Kekeno or NZ fur seals were common along the country's coastlines, and this viewpoint was home to a breeding colony. Though mothers and young pups are often seen in the rocky pools, they come onto the headland and visitor path in rough sea conditions.
I was surprised to learn that seven percent of the yellow-eyed penguins' nests were made up of female-female pairings. That was because there were more females than males, so females maximized their breeding opportunities by raising eggs together after being fertilized by a male from another nest.
The main part of the pō was the site of the famous Battle of Tahakopa, which took place in the mid-18th century between two prominent groups of Kāi Tahu ancestors.
Kekeno were once on the brink of extinction because sealing for their meat and pelts in the 1700s and 1800s nearly wiped them out. Since they became fully protected in 1978 by the Marine Mammals Protection Act, their numbers have grown.
It was fun watching the seals pose and play in the sun about five meters away from us! Once again, we didn't see or hear any noisy yellow-eyed or hoiho penguins, unfortunately.
The only other visitor at the reserve and I took turns taking pictures of each other.
The seedlings were part of the country's Billion Trees Program I mentioned in a previous post.
Look at the panoramic views of the Otago coastline and peninsula!
The sheep scampered in all directions when they heard me walk up to take a picture.
Further along the north Otago coast, at Koekohe Beach, were the mysterious Moeraki Boulders, a famous group of massive, naturally spherical rocks scattered along the beach.
The boulders varied in size, with some weighing several tons and reaching up to two meters in height. Though scientists explained the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago, according to Māori legend, they were gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru when it wrecked upon landfall hundreds of years ago.
Think of a pearl forming in an oyster - it was similar with the boulders, which developed with the gradual accumulation and cementation of prehistoric marine mud around a central core. However, these boulders were buried in the cliffs before being eroded over millions of years.
Some of the cracked boulders revealed honeycomb centers or, depending on your view, a yawning hippo!
A cute shot of Steven photobombing my selfie!
Once again, we lucked out that we saw the boulders at low tide, so we could wander around them, sit on them, etc. I don't think we would have enjoyed the experience so much if we'd only see the mounds slightly visible above the water
Rather than return along the beach, we walked along the Forest Path Trail above the beach.
Next post: I'd planned to include our visit to Ōamaru's Victorian Precinct and its Blue Penguin colony, but this one was long enough, and time and life got in the way.
Posted on July 10th, 2026, from another relentlessly hot day in Denver. Steven had extensive back fusion surgery yesterday, in the hope that life (and traveling!) will be far more enjoyable for him than it has been for a long time. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.
