Blogs from Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Bonjour à tous. Ce matin encore un timing parfait, avec même de l'avance. A 7H30 j'ai déjà fait 20km. Il est annoncé 4h de route pour 300km, et je voudrais voir certaines choses à Dunedin. Les mini pingouins, et les bleus, et avoir un peu de temps pour faire un tour de ville. C'est le premier matin où le ciel est nuageux, noir. Le 70 premiers km je les ai déjà faits en venant, c'est tout plat, et de rares virages mais très prononcés. et je vais constater que les 220 suivants sont les mêmes. Très peu de voitures, le peu que je rattrapent sont faciles à doubler. Conclusion les 300km avalés en 2H45, je pense avoir un peu dépassé la limite autorisée de 100kmh. Les 10km d'autoroute, appelés ici motorway sont comme les petites routes ... read more

The weather looks great for some outdoor activities today and it's not so cold. We set off to Larnach Castle which should be on everyone's list as it's a rare sight indeed in New Zealand. The drive with great views over the harbour took a winding and steep road across the hilltops many kilometres out of Dunedin. What a magnificent location! The original owner and builder of the castle was portrayed as a rich and powerful man involved in business, banking and politics during the later 1800s. The design and materials used were mostly imported and must have cost a fortune during those times. Obviously money did not buy happiness as he shot himself in pariliament as did his son some time later, but at home! The setting is fantastic with landscaped grounds setting off the ... read more

Dunedin is Gaelic for Edinburgh & was settled by Scots who started the Free Church of Scotland in the 1800s. It is a very pleasant and well off city with some beautiful buildings especially the churches but there are lots of old buildings which have been renovated to their former glory, a large university and a large hospital and med school. The hospital is soon to be rebuilt and loads of grotty modern buildings are being pulled down for the purpose. There are lots of little shops on the high street, which put English high streets to shame. It is a hilly place which slopes onto lots of bays so the houses have lovely views. We were driven along the winding coastal road ,which is being widened, to a Nature reserve where only birds and animals ... read more

Což takhle zajet na Nový Zéland a koupit tu skotské suvenýry? Myslíte si pravděpodobně, že jsem se úplně pomátla. Ale je tomu tak. Město Dunedin, které si zakládá na skotské historii, vlastní obchody prodávající kilty, některé nápisy tu najdete v gaelštině, dokonce samotný význam slova Dunedin je gaelsky Edinburgh (neboli hlavní město Skotska). Je to město, kde se našlo zlato a byla to nejrychleji se rozvíjející oblast Nového Zélandu, do té doby než vznikl Auckland. Dnes je 4. největším městem se zhruba 120 000 obyvateli. Z toho asi 20 000 jsou univerzitní studenti, jelikož Dunedin je místo s nejstarší univerzitou Zélandu. Nyní zde můžete studovat asi 100 různých oborů. Co se historických budov týče, nejvíce jich má opět toto město - nejstarší kostel, železniční budova apod. A ještě jednu zajímavost tu najdete - nejstrmější ulici. Skotsko ... read more

One of the coolest things about this trip is how the destinations have been totally dictated by the homes of my friends around the world. I was telling people I was going to visit Dunedin before I could even pronounce it correctly. No seriously, I had to be corrected almost a half dozen times before it stuck. Duh-NEE-din. It's a university town waaaay south on the South Island and I visited in the middle of winter. The air was crisp, but compared to Wisconsin, Jenny and I had to have a good laugh about this 'winter' where everything is canceled if snow stays on the ground. The interesting thing is that we grew up a few minutes north of the 45 degree North Parallel and now we were reunited near the 45 degree South Parallel! Oh, ... read more