In 1981, when I was ten, I visited Christchurch, New Zealand with my parents. I loved birds, especially albatrosses, and learned that tantalizingly close—360 km to the south—was the royal albatross colony in Dunedin.
It was not meant to be that trip. But 44 years later, I finally made it happen.
Feb 6, 2026 09:44Thanks to Trish Priest, I was finally able to visit Dunedin and together we went out to the Royal Albatross Center at Taiaroa Head, about 35 minutes from Dunedin.
It was better than I ever imagined possible.
Look at these glorious youngsters, flirting and bantering! I feel like they are in desperate need of a New Yorker cartoon caption. 🪶
Just look at them!
Such beautiful, joyous birds.
And wonderful to see the staff at the albatross center taking such good care of them. Here, egg-weighing time. Which gives you a sense of scale for these massive, beautiful birds.
