Having carefully planned our arrival to be at low tide, when we walked down the beach we could see what looked like perfectly curved concrete domes protruding out of the sand. These are the Moeraki Boulders which were formed 55m years ago by lime depositing round shells or pebbles, rather like a pearl in an oyster, to make solid spherical concretions over a metre across. The sea has eroded the cliffs, releasing them from the softer stone and they have embedded in the sand. Needless to say an unusual sight and a tempting photo op!
Our walk along the beach built up our appetite nicely for a visit to Fleur’s Place, according to the guide book a must lunch place when in Moeraki, in a shed on the jetty serving excellent local fish. The building looked a bit dilapidated, but when we entered it was full … good job we booked!
We passed a photo of Rick Stein eating there on the way to our table, and our waitress explained the menu and gave Chris options for a veggie main. The forward in Fleur’s cookbook mentioned her restauranting career, subsequent semi-retirement and the success of this new venture, which developed from selling soup from a trailer on the jetty because she couldn’t sit and do nothing! Our meal was delicious. I chose Moki, a local fish recommended for meaty texture and good flavour, served with steamed veg and tartare sauce. Chris had ratatouille on a baked courgette with salad and roasted potatoes, and also tried a ‘handle’ of the Speight’s beer which he thought very good. Replete we returned to our campervan.
Only a short rest as our other reason for being here was to visit the Yellow Eyed Penguin sanctuary set up by previous lighthouse keepers at Katiki Point and the best time to see them is late afternoon when they return from a day fishing. We followed the path round the outside of the restricted area, and saw a pair of moulting penguins, not looking their best, but doing a little mutual grooming.
Further round there were fur seals napping on the grass …
… and a bit further we saw a couple of penguins standing on the hill, posing for pics.
We also went to the hide and saw three penguins on the hillside and watched their antics with binoculars. We had hoped to see a few more, but the season is coming to the end so we were lucky to see any.
The campsite overlooked the bay and in the morning we moved on.
Off Travelling Together 