GEOPark - Sasha Says - Katiki – kekeno (fur seals),  hoiho (yellow eyed penguins) and a lighthouse!

Real Radio: Time to talk Geopark, joined once again by the Geoeducator Sasha Morriss. Unusual to see you with a map in front of you. You like maps, don't you?

Geoeducator: I love maps Dan. Everyone should know - I love maps. And actually, I went out in the field yesterday. I've been asking about quite a lot. And I took my map. It was great, because we took all the back roads and we did not get lost, which we would have if we didn't have this map because there was no service - we had no internet service at all. So maps are a good thing. Right, so the first stop that we went to yesterday was Katiki. So for those of you who don't know where that is, it's down past the Moeraki Boulders, you go into Moeraki itself and you follow the signpost up to the lighthouse. Now, the Runaka have developed a fantastic site up there. You go down a walkway that's been all planted with native plants, and that's ongoing - you can see where new plants have been put in, and down out on to this little point. Now, it's not wheelchair or stroller friendly. So you need to be walking, and any small children would have to be kept very, you know, holding their hand because there are cliffs there. And you go along a little path down to where you can see seals in their natural habitat - and it's just magnificent. And from there, you can look back further south to Katiki Beach. And that's just another magical place, very untouched - nature as it should be. Wonderful day out to experience a different area away from the Oamaru area itself. So at Katiki itself there are other wildlife as well - there is the Hoiho, which is the yellow eyed penguin as well. So it's not just all about seals. You would have to be there at a specific time. And the gates are closed dead on time - there's a sign there as well, so it's not a free for all access. The lighthouse itself has got a little bit of history around it as well. It was built in 1878 and it stands there as a special cultural and historical site there. So I just encourage people to go out there and experience a little bit more of what the Geopark has to offer. And from there, we went on a bit of a tiki tour and did a few other little sites. And I'd like to hold those off for another day if possible. You have to listen back in, to get some more information.

Real Radio: Sounds intriguing. Thanks, Sasha. We'll catch up with you next time.

Geoeducator: That's great. Thanks Dan.

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