Aramoana Beach

             
Thursday was beautiful so when Grace got home from school we decided to head to the beach.  This time we drove along a very narrow and windy road out to the mouth of the Otago Harbour, to Aramoana Beach.  This area is famous for great surf waves, blue penguins and fur seals.  There are plenty of gorgeous hikes in the neighborhood and across the bay, on the end of the Otago Peninsula is where you can find nesting Royal Albatross, massive birds.  We were able to watch them soar around above the peninsula.

Aotearoa is the Maori word for New Zealand which means land of the long white cloud.  One thing we have learned is that the weather here changes often and quick.  The skies had clouded over shortly after reaching the beach and the temperature had gotten a bit colder.  In a few of the pictures Grace is bundled up in John's down vest.  We didn't stay very long for this reason, but we did catch a few fur seals up close...

On the way home we drove up to the top of Signal Hill, this is the massively steep hill we live on the western side of.  At the top is the New Zealand Centennial Monument built in the 1940s, signifying 100 years of British sovereignty, sometimes I forget how young this country really is...  

By the time we reached the top of the mountain the weather had changed yet again, the skies had cleared, it was warm and the sun was shining down on us...

looking across the bay at the peninsula

the peninsula

Otago Bay

the city of Dunedin

the stone in the center is a piece of Edinburgh Castle in Scotland