God graced us with a gorgeous sunrise after we docked at Port Chalmers, New Zealand.
As the sky became lighter we noticed that the logging industry is quite evident at the port. 
Rows and rows of stacked logs lined the pier toward the front of the ship.
From the aft, we had a striking view of this lovely town. 
Debarking was a breeze as we entered through the cruise terminal which is the metal building in the photo above.
There were several tables set up for people who just wanted to connect to wifi or to wait for others debarking. There were also tourism information booths available.
Our tour directions clearly indicated that there would be an assembly point near door #2 in the cruise terminal. Sure enough, our tour guide met us near there and we actually exited through door #1.
We booked a private excursion entitled, “Wildlife and Scenic tour with City Highlights” from 4 Nature tours. This tour promised lots of scenic views, wildlife, and an amazing lunch at Fleur’s (more on that to come) It was set up by another cruise passenger that we connected with online through Cruise Critic. We frequently join the Cruise Critic roll call for our sailing and arrange private tours with small groups with the same interests.
Our first stop gave us early morning bay views. 
We drove through the countryside.
Next, we were guided through the Orokonui Ecosanctuary to see many Native New Zealand birds
On to the incredible Moeraki Boulders. We had time to walk down to the coast line to wander among the boulders and marvel at how they got there. 
Our guide checked with the group leader n advance to see if we wanted a quick bite or an amazing experience for lunch. We chose the latter: Fleur’s Place.
It’s a small restaurant and reservations are highly recommended. Such atmosphere! And what amazing fresh seafood. Hubby and I split a seafood platter and seafood stew. I never knew there was such a thing as New Zealand blue-lipped mussels, but hubby enjoyed them. 
After lunch, we enjoyed wandering the property and soaking in the scenery.
From here we traveled a little further enjoying the scenery as we went. I was very excited to see my first New Zealand sheep. It looks like they were curious to see us, too.
Our next stop was the Katiki Historic Reserve. Home of the rare yellow-eyed penguins. (We never got close enough to see their eyes. My photos of them are zoomed in from a distance.)
There were lots of fur seals enjoying the sunshine.
That leathery looking stuff is kelp. It looked like props from Pirates of the Caribbean. 
Several seals worked their way high up to the hillside to nap in the soft grass. Such peaceful sleep!
We left the countryside and drove into the city of Dunedin.
We walked around the University of Otago,
visited the train station,
and saw the Cadbury Chocolate factory from a distance.
This 8.5 hour tour was packed! We rode, walked, hiked, ate, and marveled our way around the area before our guide returned us to the port.
Our day began with an amazing sunrise, and ended with a gorgeous sunset.
Next port: Akaroa, New Zealand for a trip with the mail man!