Dunedin

Monday morning saw us on the road again after 2 relaxing nights at Taieri Mouth- not often that we spend 2 nights somewhere so I think we are still racing! We crossed over the Taieri bridge and continued on the scenic coastal road route with it's abundant flaxes, toi toi, still flowering agapanthus, little nooks for freedom camping so probably lots of poo in the bushes and sea views. Coming into Dunedin we stopped at the Island Park Golf club at Waldronville but didn't play as my left wrist was still pretty sore from I know not what the previous day and my bee sting was still creating a bit of a limp. What a temporary wreck!

Anyway not playing meant that we got to the very busy Woodhaugh NZMCA  park in Dunedin before all the spaces were taken. They say there is room for 40 vehicles but you'd be lucky to fit more than 30 in with space needed for the extra cars pulling the caravans. It's a handy location and parking areas are few and far between in Dunedin.

Alongside the Leith!

Once settled in we wandered down the really nice Leith Valley walkway, following the stream, into town where I reminisced, once again, on my life there 50 years ago. By the time we got back to our NZMCA park, after an early Indian dinner, it was packed!

The usherette, 50yrs on!

The next morning we walked into town again to meet up with Rob, a Physio classmate, who has always lived in Dunedin, for coffee at The Good Oil on George Street.

Reminiscing physios. 

A good catch up on the last few years before she had to dash to see a patient. I'm not envious fortunately!

After climbing up steep Pitt Street  (in student days we never particularly liked going to parties up there) we did a guided tour of Olveston Historic Home, something that I have been meaning to do for many years, with it being one of Dunedin's main attractions.

T at Olveston.

It is a large, opulent home built in 1907 for the Theomin family with many interesting features, fine art and original furnishings and artefacts collected from all over the world. Everything in the house is as it was when gifted to the City of Dunedin in 1966 a carpet and a bedroom wallpaper that needed replacing being replicated to be exactly like the original. It's important that visitors aren't tempted to touch anything which is why you can only see the house with a guide. It was good to have visited it at last.

Ready to go!

Lunch was back at The Good Oil before walking on to the beautiful, much photographed, Dunedin Railway Station to join the Taieri Gorge Rail excursion,

Low speed Taieri train. 

a 4 hour return trip up to Pukerangi, crossing the Taieri Plains, passing the Wingatui Racecourse, thoroughbred racehorses, going through several tunnels and crossing the Wingatui Viaduct.

Race horse breeding farm.

Typical view from the carriage window. 

It is nice scenery and you feel as though you are in the middle of nowhere but I think we have been spoilt by all our road travels around this area seeing similar views. It was good to hear a fellow passenger enthuse about how much there was to take in. The train was no more than a third full so it meant we could easily change seats to the side of the carriage with the views.

Our turnaround point.

At the outward destination of Pukerangi, which means " the hill of Heaven", we were able to get out for a leg stretch while passengers about to cycle the Otago Rail Trail disembarked.

After the train trip we had an excellent and good value pizza slab and beer for dinner at Ratbags, on the lower corner of the Octagon, Tuesday being their half price pizza special night.

A satisfied look!

A jug of beer for $14 and plenty of pizza slab to share for $15! And very good!

This time we caught the bus back to our campsite, another bargain, being free for gold card holders at off peak times.