Another shag down by the water

Woke up to a brilliant sunrise over Oamaru Harbor this morning. I can see the water from the big bay window in my room of the hostel; it's a wonderful view to see first thing in the morning. I went walking down to the end of the wharf and met this Spotted Shag having a sit on the edge. I like how its bill matches the color of the boat behind it.

Went to Riverstone Restaurant (voted best in New Zealand) with Miss A and Laika in the afternoon, and then up to the mouth of the Waitaki River. What a spectacular estuary that is.

Earlier I visited Adventure Books in the Victorian Old Town. This specialty bookshop has by far the most massive collection of antique and used books on Antarctica that I've ever seen. I was completely overwhelmed by it. The owner (from Corpus Christi Texas incidentally) has also amassed impressive collections of books on the Arctic, mountaineering, and natural history. His store has recently relocated from Christchurch, where 75 boxes worth of rare and antique books were water-damaged by liquefaction that occurred after the most recent large earthquake. It's a wondrous collection he has for sale; one would never know so many books had ever been written on the polar regions. It's a real treasure, quietly tucked away in the old street of Oamaru.