The cloud remnants of last night’s light rain were still lingering when we surfaced at 08.15 having had a short lie in. The facilities on this site are reasonable, but compared to the site in Te Anau, they fall short of the five star rating that they have been awarded. Showering was almost a pleasure this morning, in that there was no lost property, the water was nice and hot and I was on my own apart from a single Jonny foreigner who was cleaning his teeth when I entered the shower block and was still cleaning them 20 minutes later after I had showered and shaved.
This morning was going to be sightseeing in Dunedin, so we decided to leave the van on site and take the bus into the city centre. Apparently there was only one bus into the centre and it left on the hour and half hour. We promptly left the site and walked the few yards to the bus shelter, to catch the 10.00 bus. A little late, the bus pulled up and we stated our destination as the Octagon (bang in the middle of town). This bus went to the University and was clearly not the only one that went into town. Did we wait for the right bus or go on this one? We opted to take this one and find our way from the university, which was not far from where we had been yesterday. We were advised to get off before the uni and as luck would have it, we had driven past the bus stop yesterday, so finding the Octagon was a piece of cake.
Having walked to our destination, out came the camera and off we snapped. First the Cathederal, then the statue of Robert Burns, then the Octagon, before heading off to the magnificent railway station. An amazing piece of Victorian style architecture. The foyer of the station contains 275,000 pieces of Royal Doulton ceramic mosaics, featuring a train and multiple logos of the NZ Railway.
From the station we walked down Anzac Avenue to the Otago Settlers Museum, which is housed in a smart Art Deco building. Unfortunately, it was closed for refurbishment and only the entrance and one small room were in operation. The museum is undergoing a total refurbishment and will not be complete until 2012! Disappointed, we moved down the road to the Chinese Garden. This garden was designed and prefabricated in Shanghai, then dismantled, moved to Dunedin and rebuilt by the same Chinese staff who built it in Shanghai, then officially opened in 2008. The garden is a tranquil oasis in the middle of a busy city and is meant to commemorate the contribution Chinese immigrants have made to Dunedin’s history, culture and prosperity. From a photographic perspective the place is potentially fantastic and in practice is a nightmare, as all around the outside of the garden are tower cranes and floodlights from the adjacent railway sidings. You have to be very careful from what angle you take photos from.
We had intended to return to the Octagon and visit the Art Gallery, but as the sun was shining, we decided to take a trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway departing at 2.30. We had already prepared a packed lunch, so we ate it in the gardens in front of the station under the blazing sunshine. We boarded the train at 2.00 and settled into our seats in a classic old carriage. Off we went at 2.30 rattling out of the station and through the Western suburbs of Dunedin towards Pukerangi some 58Kms away, which will take us almost 2 hours. The first stop was at Wingatui, then on through the first of 12 tunnels before arriving at Wingatui viaduct. At 197 metres in length and rising 47 metres above the Mullocky stream it is the longest wrought iron structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
We trundled through the Taieri Gorge and some magnificent scenery, finally arriving in Pukrangi around 4.30. After a 10 minute turn around to pick up more passengers we were on our way back to Dunedin. The Kiwi couple sitting opposite us were from the North tip of North Island and were holidaying in South Island for 3 months. When they realised we were going to North Island, they suggested that we try her sisters B&B, so after exchanging details, we then struck up a friendly conversation with them.
It was 6.30 before we arrived back in Dunedin and it had just started spitting with rain. By the time we had walked back to the Octagon, the rain was falling a little heavier. The big problem was that as we came into town on a university bus, we did not know exactly where to catch a bus back to the site. The first bus to arrive wasn’t going where we wanted, but the next one did and in 15 minutes we were back at the camp site.
Sausage and mash for dinner this evening, but not before a tea and a dunk. Tomorrow it’s the Otago Peninsula to see the penguins and Royal albatross colony.
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