The South Island is sub-antarctic and so when a southerly wind blows it is a tad chilly! As we have headed further south the days are noticeably longer and the temperatures a few degrees cooler but the scenery is stunning and with electric blankets to warm the bed at night we have no complaints!!
As we have been without proper internet access for several weeks it was good to be able to connect up and contact our family and let them know how we are going and find out how things have been at home - it’s good to talk!
For the next couple of nights our “home” is a delightful B & B (www.city sanctuary.co.nz), where we have a beautiful room in a huge house in the suburbs of Dunedin. The owners are marvellous hosts and great cooks!
Our first evening we discovered that the other guests staying the night were a French couple from Paris - we spent a very pleasant hour or so chatting and finding out a bit about everyone - we were pleased that despite not speaking French for almost a year, most of it came back to us without too much difficulty!
After catching up and a sumptuous breakfast of freshly baked bread, croissants, cereals, apricot compote, yoghurt and salmon and cheese we waddled(!!) out to explore Dunedin.
A 15-minute walk took us into the flat central part of the city (the surrounding roads/streets are predominantly steep hills not unlike the streets in San Francisco!).
We headed for the area known as The Octagon which is the focal point and it is where parades, festivals, protests, parties and royal visits are held. It is a small oasis in the heart of the city, surrounded by a number of fine buildings including the Municipal Chambers, an excellent example of the use of Oamaru stone, St Paul’s Cathedral which stands high above the Octagon, and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery which houses early and contemporary New Zealand arts.
We visited the Cathedral and photographed the surrounding buildings before making our way to the First Church, the flagship of the Prestbyterian Church in Otago.
After our tour of the First Church we walked along Anzac Avenue and passed by the Prison and Law Courts before making our way to the Dunedin Railway Station.
Dunedin’s Railway Station is one of New Zealand’s finest historic buildings and one of the best examples of railway architecture in the southern hemisphere. Although not large by international standards, the station’s proportions lend it an air of grandeur.
Following a morning of sight seeing we continued our exploring in the afternoon by heading south.
Tunnel Beach Walkway.
Located 4 miles south of the city, Tunnel Beach is named after the tunnel cut through sandstone cliffs in the 1870s by Edward Cargill so that his family could get down to the pretty beach below. We took the short but steep walkway to the beach where we enjoyed breathtaking views of the sandstone cliffs which have been spectacularly sculpted by the wind and sea.
We walked through the tunnel and took some great shots of the cliffs before making the climb back to the top of the pathway. It was hard going but certainly good cardio vascular exercise!!
Signal Hill.
After our “hike” we headed north of the city to Signal Hill and from where we had excellent (if a little hazy!), views of the central city, upper harbour and parts of the Otago Peninsula which we plan to explore tomorrow. Watch this space!
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