We took a shine to Oamaru immediately, mainly because it reminded us of Llandudno but also because of its numerous chippys and Victorian style tearooms. As we had arrived after 5pm the local info-site was closed and a sign directed us to the blue penguin colony office, which was open until 8pm.

Unlike the i-site in Tekapo the lady at the blue penguin office was extremely friendly and helpful. She marked on a map a nearby place for freedom camping and gave us information on the yellowed eyed and blue penguin colonies. We drove back into the town and picked one of the many chippys and ordered 2 fish and chips for tea. Although it was tasty, the fish and chips just weren't the same as home…..for some reason they deep fry oven chips?? After polishing off our food, we went to a nearby pub to warm up before parking up for the night. It was in this pub that we came across Macs Gold, our favourite NZ beer, which from then on we regularly stocked our camper cupboards with.

The next day we started our morning with a trip to the local swimming pool, obviously because we're so keen to stay in shape, but also because it was the easiest way to get a shower. After a few lengths, a dip in the Jacuzzi and a lovely hot shower we felt presentable enough to venture into one of the tearooms for scones and jamJ. In the afternoon we visited Oamaru's cheese factory, where we got free samples and peek behind the scenes. Just before sunset we headed to the beach and to the site of the yellowed eyed penguin colony. Dusk is the best time to spot them. The lookout point was quite high up over the beach and we weren't allowed any closer. We managed to spot a couple of penguins waddling along but they were a bit too far away for us to see them properly.

The following day we took advantage of the free wifi in the library before continuing our drive down the east coast. Our next stop was at the Moeraki Boulders, which are large spherical rocks on a particular section of beach that have formed over millions of years. We stopped for a few photos and a walk in between the odd looking rocks. Afterwards we carried on a little further down the coast to a peninsula where another colony of penguins is meant to gather at dusk. However, we were let down again and this time didn't even catch a glimpse of a penguin. We stayed here for the night hoping to maybe see some penguins in the morning.

We were woken up the next morning by a little girl knocking on our window. She was from the campervan parked next to us and was very excited about the large seal that was lazing on the grass nearby. We got up and followed her out to watch the seal and take photos. No sign of the penguins though. Our plan for today was to get to Dunedin and find a motorhome park for the night so we could plug in and re-charge. We set off and made it to Dunedin by mid-morning. We parked up, plugged in and then made the 20 minute walk into the town. Dunedin was another pretty town with gift shops, cafes and most importantly….a Cadburys Chocolate FactoryJ. We explored the town before heading to the chocolate factory for a tour. We entered the large building, which was all white with purple window panes and doors. Inside we were faced with a huge mound of chocolate bars in gold wrappers and a gift shop selling every type of Cadburys chocolate. We checked in for our tour and were taken through to the factory where we were instantly greeted by the warm smell of melted chocolate. The tour was great with free tasters, demos of machinery, an insight into the Cadburys history and even a huge chocolate waterfall!! That evening we took advantage of the motorhome site kitchen and cooked up plenty of bolognaise and beef stew, which went in containers and into our camper fridge for nights when facilities are lacking. After eating that nights portion of bolognaise we cleared up the huge mess we had made in the kitchen and then went to bed.

The next day we visited the local i-site for info on our drive through the very southern section of the South Island. We were told that the best and most scenic route was through The Catlns and got a leaflet on places to stop at along the way. Next we headed for another of Dunedin's tourist attractions: Baldwin Street, which bears the title of "the world's steepest street". And so we felt it was necessary that we made the effort to walk to the top of Baldwin Street, although, the best bit was watching cars trying to drive up it. After a successful climb up the street we made our way back down…..mainly at a run as this was the best way to do it, and then went for a walk around the Dunedin botanical gardens. We finished the day off with a drive along Dunedin's peninsula and out to a couple of beaches with the hopes of maybe spotting penguins. But once again the penguins were nowhere in sight. We parked up that night with the help of a couple of girls who we met on the beach; one was from England and insisted that we follow her in her car to a layby overlooking a beach. We did as we were told and were taken to a layby that actually had signs saying it was ok to freedom camp there! We thanked the girl and settled down for another night in the camper.

The next morning we woke up to gorgeous views over the bay, we got ready and drove along the coast to a little town called St Clares, where we walked along the promenade and watched large waves crashing up over the walk way. We returned to Dunedin and prepared for the next leg of our journey with a Sunday roast and then jumped back in the camper and set off for the Catlins.