The first of 10 Mondays we have as part of our cruise, we find ourselves in Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. This was our last time to set foot on land until Hobart, Tasmania. Interestingly, we found locals referring to the city as "Dunny-den". We have a Dunedin near where we live and it is pronounced "Dun-ee-din". Chatting with a Scottish woman on our trip, I learned they too pronounce it like we do. And, I learned it is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh.
Fortunately, the ship's daily activities paper tells us where we are in addition to telling us what's going on on board.
We walk out on our balcony and see mounds of wood chips as high as the roof of our cabin… and, we're on deck 9! This further substantiates the lumber export business that thrives in New Zealand.
Our ship docked in Port Chalmers as the channel is too small and shallow for our ship to get closer to Dunedin. However, we did drive through Dunedin and around the end of the inlet to get out to the very tip end of the peninsula. This is looking back at the city from the high and winding road.
Our first destination is in the distance. If you look carefully at the mound in the center of the picture, you can see a little box like structure. It is a little building with glass all across the front from which we can see the albatrosses. The buildings further down the hill, closer in, is where the visitor center is. Believe me, the path to the top is a steep switch-back one! And, it is a much greater distance than it appears! Our fitness director would be so proud to see us walking that.
The bus parked near the visitor center.
This is the larger of the buildings we saw in a prior picture.
Call me crazy but I was fascinated by the "sink" in the ladies room. It was a flat slab of slate tilted toward the back where there was a trough to collect the water. Very simple and very practical!
There weren't many albatross but there were a LOT of nesting cormorants. There is one nesting albatross hiding in the grass in the lower right of the picture.
From the top, looking back to the inlet up toward Dunedin. The tide was out so a lot of sand bars are visible.
Still up on top, looking back at the road we'd driven to get here! With a big bus, it was quite tricky at times...
In addition to nesting cormorants and albatross, there were LOTS of seagulls. This is just one of the many fledglings.
The point also has a lot of history from the World War II era. We wandered up and down the steps and through the tunnels to the "disappearing gun"!
From the lookout bunker where soldiers watched for ships approaching the inlet from the Pacific Ocean.
The disappearing gun in "disappeared" mode. The wheels are what turns the cranks to lift the gun.
Just a red-footed seagull so perfectly perched for a pic.
A bunch of fledglings waiting for parents to return.
This statue in the visitor center was the closest we came to seeing an albatross awake!
"On the road again", this time headed for Larnach Castle. The inlet below reminds me of the Rhine River.
Arriving at Larnach Castle.
The "ballroom" all set up for lunch.
There were no choices except wine, beer or soft drink. Everyone was served a delightful chicken salad, and
for desert, a very tasty Pavlova.
No photos or video were allowed in the castle itself, however, once we were up on the tower, we were allowed to take pictures of the surrounding land. From here, we can see the point at the end of the peninsula (on the right) where we were a couple of hours ago.
Our guide, Di, stands by the tower door as we begin making our way backdown the spiral staircase.
Looking back at the castle and the tower from whence we just came. Note the glassed in porch around the first two stories. At first it had been open porches, however, the Larnachs found it to be to cold in this part of the world so they had it glassed in.
Just a small portion of the beautiful gardens. We would loved to have had another couple of hours just to wander around them. Note the hedges in the back. They are cedar and were sheared just like the ones we'd seen in Granada (Spain) back in 2000.
Our guide, Di, wishes us a good journey as we head off back to the ship. Note, Di, like all the other guides, was dressed in a long tartan skirt.
On the way back to the ship, our driver took us through downtown Dunedin to take in the beauty of the city.
Back at the port, our ship awaits our arrival. Our cabin is on the third deck above the lifeboat and is the fifth balcony from the back end of the ship, aka, the blunty end!!
The day was a bit hazy and the roads were a bit scary at times, however, it was a delightful and very educational adventure!
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