Oct 23 – 27 – Trip to the South Island – Part 2: Penguins and Sand Flies.  Did I mention sand flies?

            

Now it was time for penguins.  The penguins live in the forest that lines the shore along a small bay on the Tasman Sea.  It is odd to think of penguins as living in a forest, but penguins live in all kinds of places.  Some like the South African penguin live in burrows, some favor rocky shores, some favor forests.  To get to the habitat, we had to walk through the rain forest and cross a few streams. 

            Wait.  How did Matt ford streams and hike through a rain forest?  Matt can do a lot of things that people do not expect.  Gerry told us that Anne did not think Matt would make it.   But Gerry thought he was entitled to try.  He did not double time us along the path.  We went at Matt’s pace.  Matt carries a portable stool which he uses to give his feet a rest and Gerry was more than happy to pause.  As for the streams, I had on gum boots.  Matt had on his waterproof shoe covers and we both kept our feet dry.  

            Gerry took us to a secluded cove where waves crashed over huge black rocks.  

The penguins are endangered and few in number.  So this was not like the nature documentaries you see where people are wading through thousands of penguins.  The beach was empty.  The penguins nest in the forest surrounding the cove.  Like most penguins, the male and female take turns watching the eggs. One goes out to sea for food, the other stays behind.  As they return from the sea, they land on the rocks, then hop or walk across the rocks and sand and waddle up a hill into the bush.  We were there to observe them as they went back and forth.  

            Gerry positioned us on a log, and we waited.  In a few minutes, the first penguin came out of the bush and down the hill to head out to sea.  

Damn, penguins are cute.  You just have to smile when you see them.  They have that side-to-side wobbly walk, their little heads pushed forward, their bellies almost covering their feet.  They flap those little wing-fins to balance as they hop from rock to rock.  Just damn cute.  

            Okay.  One penguin sighting.  We waited some more.  As we waited, we talked about everything—conservation, penguins, birds, world events, questions about America.  Gerry was up on the current politics, so we got questions about Trump of course.  One thing I have learned here is that, to New Zealanders, Americans are kind of like penguins.  We are interesting to observe, and they so want to understand our habits.  And of course, some of us wobble when we walk.  

            As we waited, we were engulfed in thousands of sand flies, the devil of the South Island.  When you think sand flies, you might think annoying flies like you find around farms.  Or you might think of gnats.  You might even think, well, I have been swarmed by mosquitos.  Sorry, but  your imagination needs to take it up a notch.  Sand flies are evil, blood sucking insects whose bites are sharp and filled with toxins that will make your skin look like you have been rolling in poison ivy.  And the bites are just as itchy, if not itchier than that.  God must have really wanted to make us miserable to create those vampires.  

            I had on black pants for no better reason but that was all I had to wear.  Unfortunately, black clothes attract the flies.  Gerry kept telling me this, but it was most unhelpful given I was miles from the lodge and had nothing else to change into.  (If only they had warned us about the clothes before we arrived!)

            I was soon covered with hundreds of flies.  I had brought along natural repellant that I bought at the lodge.  Gerry scoffed and offered me Deet.  I declined.  Since the only exposed part of me was my hands and face, I figured how bad could it be?

            It was bad.  Very bad.  I finally put on some Deet but being the insect magnet that I am, it really was of no help at all.  So I just tolerated them, shooing and swatting as needed.  (By the time I got home a few days later I had giant welts.  I tried in vain not to itch.   But the feeling was so intense all I could do was scratch as hard and as long as possible.  Counterproductive I know.  But at the time it felt so right.)

            After two hours we had counted fifteen penguins, coming and going from nest to sea and sea to nest.  Gerry said that was the second most sightings for the season.  Plus, the location was so beautiful that the bug bites were worth it.    Take a look.