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Published: February 11th 2008
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Wednesday 6th Onto the bus, and there's Netty again! Bus makes a stop at Cromwell for breakfast - I resist more, but not the stop in Lawrence where they have an amazing choice of Tip-Top icecreams - and end up with the biggest amount of ice-cream ever - and for one of the cheapest prices! Then, before you know it, we're in Dunedin. It's Waitangi Day (when Europeans/Maoris signed a treaty - NZ's birthday essentially), so there's some extra stuff on/some stuff closed! I collect some info from I-Site, drop my bags off and wander round the central area, before collecting bags and heading down to the railway station where Campbell's wife Anne is going to pick me up. Realise no idea what each other look like but if there's a car full of children I guess that'll be her, and sure enough - there she is. We drive back to the house via St Kilda and St Clair beaches - all of this is beautiful and this is probably the first place I can truly imagine living in NZ... Still, who knows?!
Get to meet the family - Isaak, Abigail, Luke and Jeremiah, and have a chat to Campbell.
Go in to chat to Anne and help make a salad before the family sits down for dinner. Tasty sausage recipe, need to find out how to make that! Another big ice cream, then relax with some TV/music/a book/chats! To bed not too late... Am in a room with Jeremiah, but it's clear he's not going to settle so his cot is moved. I don't remember another thing...
Thursday 7th Ah, a good night's sleep! Might only be a temporary bed but it makes a change from the hostels! Sat and read for a bit in the morning before we headed out to Dunedin city centre. Anne dropped me near the main street then met me after parking. Meandered in/out of shops until the car hour was up, when I took Luke into the Post Office with me to send another parcel home. Made our way to the Botanic Gardens for lunch, before feeding the ducks and making our way to the Aviary to see the Cockatoos, etc. Off to 'kindie' for 230 to pick up Abigail and head back to the house where I read a bit more before deciding to go for a walk... Walked down Jacob's
Ladder to St Clair, then up Bedford Street - all took a bit longer (steeper!) than expected. Back in time for some dinner, after which spend most of the evening chatting to Campbell.
Friday 8th Another good sleep, make sure am up/ready to leave house with Anne for 10 - still not quite decided on plan for the day, but it's going to start on St Clair beach. Thought about going in the sea but waves are pretty big and it looks pretty cold! Sit and read for a couple of hours, interpersed with people-watching (lot of interest in an abandoned fish), before heading to the saltwater pools for a safer swim (and somewhere a bit safer to leave my stuff)... Taking the opportunity to practice my scuba breathing! After half-hour or so the windchill factor means I need to get out, so dress, have a snack and watch the surf-lesson.. Picking up a few more tips!
Still undecided if I want to go on the Taipei Gorge Railway today, but it goes 230pm and it's now 130pm so need to decide if I want to stick with chilling on the beach, or head for the train station.
Decide to catch the bus I can see and think on the way in, as may do something else in the city instead. After faffing in the Information Centre for a while I head to the train station for 225pm! See if there's any seats left - is a good one, and I get 20% off with YHA, so I decide to go for it!
Dash on before the train leaves and grab my seat. Table seat - can do some writing on the boring bits! Then Paul and Robbie get on - try and get some seats where they can talk to each other as someone else has sat in their seats! End up having a very enjoyable afternoon chatting to them, taking lots of pictures of the gorge/me hanging out the train, etc. We get a couple of opportunities to get out of the train to take a few extra pics, otherwise as it's the only train on the track it slows down at all the particularly scenic spots. After a couple of hours (and Devonshire/Cream Tea... Nothing special - well, it was 'train food') get to Pukeraki, where the train turns around, 130 people get off
to get the bus to Queenstown, and Paul, Robbie and I move forward to the now empty carriages at the front of the train and make ourselves at home. The conductor is giving us an amusing commentary, so that keeps us entertained. Get back 640pm, find the supermarket for a few odds/ends; find the bus stop - nothing for a while so grab some takeaway wedges and wait. Bus is easy enough, get back and chat to Anne for a while before Campbell offers to give me a tour of Dunedin at night - nice - get some good scenic shots, especially from Signal Hill, and we have a good look around the beautiful university campus. En route we'd tried to see Campbell/Hamish's mum & dad but they were busy... But I got to meet Jemima and Stephen. By 1130 got back, said good night and made sure I was ready for the morning!
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