Royalty

Visited Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland today. It has the largest Subantarctic penguin exhibit in the world, featuring King and Gentoo Penguins, both of which I've never even seen in captivity before. Because the birds live and breed on the Subantarctic islands, where it is quite cold, the aquarium has to manufacture ice (several tons a day) to keep the penguins comfortable. They also simulate conditions of their natural climate--making the enclosure very windy on select days, feeding them at different times of day in different ways, and giving them rocks to build nests and play with--so that they behave more naturally.

They also allow them to breed; many of the Gentoos were sitting on eggs in rock nests situated around the exhibit. It was amazing to watch them defend their nests, greet their partners, and reposition themselves on their eggs, just as they would in the wild--right on the other side of the glass.

The King Penguins were equally fascinating to watch. Just like the Gentoos they are extremely (and adorably) social with one another. They raise their heads up when they greet each other, and often stand in groups of 4-6, facing inward in a circle.

The aquarium also has a large collection of native shark species, several ginormous sting rays, and lots of fantastic species of New Zealand fish, jellyfish, and seahorses. And an octopus.

Today makes two weeks in NZ. I still feel really overwhelmed by the notion of what I've set out to do, and on days like today I struggle to maintain my composure, even despite consistently positive and life-affirming experiences. The hardest part is being alone. Having to do it all (and enjoy it all) on my own, being assured of only the fact that I, myself, will continue to be somewhere, no matter what. This is a feeling I experience very often, living on the road, moving and moving and moving. I've realized the trick is just riding it out for the roughest parts, because it doesn't always feel this hard.