Dunedin Part 1

Taieri Lakes

Taieri Lakes golf course beckoned on Wednesday and what a challenge with its 4 lakes, many bunkers, greens in high places and irrigations "slits" through the fairway. It was the 1st 18 hole course we had played on for a while so it was quite different from the mainly flat more simple 9 hole courses. However it was beautifully scenic with a lots of different trees lining the fairways and ducks and their ducklings in the lakes which have now have a higher water level with several of our balls at the bottom! And nice to have a shower afterwards.
Then it was onto Barb and Graemes who were some of our companions when we did the Whanganui River gruelling kayak trip and who live within a stone's throw of lovely St Clair Beach in Dunedin in a very wide street - perfect for Debussy for a couple of nights. Graeme was unfortunately away working but it was great to catch up with Barb who has lots of good "craic", is good company and cooked us our first roast dinner for several months - yum!!
Thursday we visited Tunnel Beach (again) which is has great seascape views, sea-carved sandstone cliffs, rock arches and caves and is named for the long handcarved tunnel that was commissioned by John Cargill for his wife and daughter to access a small private beach in the 1870s. It's a great spot to visit and there was even a sea lion there sunbathing, but as the track, which we think has been reformed recently, is very steep and gravelly you wouldn't want to do it with sore kneees!

Tunnel Beach - spot the sea lion

We were so lucky with the weather - it was raining when we arrived at the beach but by the time we had had a cup of coffee in the bus there was a window of sunshine so we made it there and back before the rain started again and we watched in fascination as our outside temperature gauge dropped from 14° to 6.2° in about 20 minutes! That's the character of this captivating city where I lived for 4 years and where Len has visited
previously. Hence we have already done most of the touristy things and can spend some time exploring the golf courses!

Trish with piles at St Clair beach

We played at Chisholm Park at St Kilda on Friday with it being sunny and just a little windy - great for drying the washing. It's a links course overlooking the blue sea and is difficult as soon as you are off the fairway with long, tough grass immediately enveloping one's ball which I found very hard to get out of.
Afterwards we went for a walk from St Kilda beach to St Clair and then on to Second Beach where we had also walked with Barb in the dark on our 1st evening. Not many surfers about as the waves weren't great but lots of long, wide kelp washing up around Second beach.