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Published: August 21st 2009
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Oamaru
Another Penguin hits town! The mists had descended as we made our way on to the Otago Peninsula. The main focus was to see the albatross fly at the colony at Tairoa Head. We’d checked into an on site van at a caravan park at Portobello and had some very disappointing Speights at the Portobello Hotel, although the Blue Cod & chips from the fish hut next door hit the mark. It was NZ$24 to get into the albatross colony - we settled for watching them fly from just outside. The tourist infrastructure was back with a vengeance on the Peninsula - they wanted $30 to see the same penguins we had seen for free on the beach near Nugget Point. At the highest point of the Peninsula, Lanarch Castle was almost invisible through the mist. We paid the entry this time - the Castle is billed as the only one in New Zealand. Of course, it’s really a Victorian gothic house. Whilst it was not the weather to appreciate the scene, the Castle presumably had some commanding views on a better day.
The Peninsula exhausted of entertainment, we retreated to Dunedin. The southern hemisphere’s Edinburgh had a buzz about it, as you would
Christchurch
Taking a punt expect with a large student centre. We checked into Chalet Backpackers and climbed to our attic domain and spent the rest of the afternoon climbing ………….this time up Baldwin Street. As with Monteiths in Greymouth, Speights Brewery in Dunedin was not to be missed. Whilst it was more of a slick operation, the free beer was still in evidence and we discovered we were really Pale Ale people rather than Golden. A free beer was also on offer at the Casino next door - Dunedin’s leading boutique casino no less. There is no point looking a gift horse in the mouth, so with the beer token in hand we ventured in. We parted from our Mazda man in the morning, which transpired to be the warmest day of the year in Dunedin at 25.8 degrees.
We examined the architecture of Dunedin Railway Station, the statue of Robbie Burns, ran the risk of melting chocolate and headed for Cadbury World and Miranda acquired more for her Paul Frank collection from a shop on George Street. We finished the day with a cheap Japanese meal from a student restaurant (which became habit forming during our time in town) and a few
Oamaru
Victorian architecture in Oamaru Speights sitting outside the Flying Scotsmen on the Octogan. The latter was very pleasant until some members of the Curly Wurly production line who had been overindulging in the Golden, started too much Bro language. We tried the 1930’s seaside at St Clair and student life with a gig at the Arc Café.
The bus schedules meant the Moeriaki Boulders would have to wait for another time and we headed for Oamaru - a Victorian capsule half way to Christchurch. The main area of town was primarily built between 1870 and 1890 out of the local limestone and features big imposing bank and civic buildings favoured by the Victorians. Whether by luck or judgement or the fact that time has just passed the place by, the buildings are preserved. Oamaru is now busy cashing in on Victoriana and it’s other major asset, penguins. The big draw was the Blue Penguin colony, which was down by the harbour. A purpose built viewing arena was in situ for the nightly return of the penguins to their burrows down by this area. Of course for a not so small a sum, a seat in the viewing area was available. However, nobody seemed
Christchurch
Lindauer Cup at the Addington Raceway to have fully briefed the penguins that burrows should be restricted to the one zone to maximise revenue and the reality was that penguins were found under just about every building, shed and even as far away as the car park behind the backpackers. An avid penguin viewer just needs to go for a brisk stroll anywhere in town between the main street and the harbour and sightings are pretty much guaranteed.
We stayed in a backpackers in an old hotel on the main street, where the owner was into Victorian heritage days and penny farthing bikes. The tourist information place suggested that a guy called Jim was the top penguin man in town for the other colony of Yellow Eyed Penguins. They had opted for out of town residences just round the headland and were a bit more wary about venturing on to land than their Blue cousins. We went on a late afternoon tour and were treated to some really close up views and an overpowering stench by their burrows.
We caught the Intercity to Christchurch, with a view to an immediate transfer to Akaroa. The towns on the Canterbury Plains made fairly dull scenery and
Baldwin Street, Dunedin
The steepest street in the world we felt we’d made a wise decision not to break the journey in Timaru and Ashburton. The transfer safely negotiated, we installed ourselves in Chez Le Mar. We set off for a long walk to a Maori church, but never quite got there - it only took us a few more years and you can see the picture I was looking for in the 2006 blog. Miranda went swimming with the Hector’s Dolphins - alas the pint sized dolphins were a bit too quick for her underwater photographic skills.
The visit to Christchurch was split in two. We’d originally landed briefly before boarding the train for Greymouth and stayed out at Dorset House near Hagley Park. Christchurch ………….it’s so English was the general comment……….but we found it a cross between Flanders and Cambridge without the A14. Trams and punting! The weather was bizarre, 30 degrees and sunshine one day and hailstones and driving rain the next. We went to a trotting meet at Addington Raceway - the Lindaur Handicap was allegedly one of the biggest races of the year. The sun shone and the farm girls underestimated the power of the rays to resemble lobsters by the end of
Dunedin
The Otago Settlers Museum the day. Alas the pleasant surroundings of Dorset was full on our return, so we temporarily checked into a factory hostel right in the square that was predictably populated by Kiwi Experience and the party people……….and a party night they had! The sporting activity on our return was the Oceania Student Games, at a windswept athletics stadium in deepest east Christchurch. The minimum qualifying times were clearly over generous, judging by the snail like performance of some of the Pacific Islander athletes.
After Qantas cancelled our direct flight back to Melbourne, we had a swap of flights to get back via Sydney in time for a spot of Christmas cricket.
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