Travel On The Level

Otago Bay

There's a good bit of Scotland in Dunedin, the jumping off point for touring the beautiful Otago Peninsula on New Zealand's South island. A gold rush second only to the Klondike's brought settlers and money and Dunedin became the home of Cadbury Chocolate and Speight's Brewery (both offer tours with samples).

Speight's Tasting Bar

In more recent times, as a contribution to the excitement of the Rugby World Cup, Nude Rugby was born here when the local All Black Nudes played the Transylvania Vampires. In winter. On the colder of the two islands. For charity. Developed in part by the owner of the Bottom Bus line that serves the southern part of the South. Island. 

Now the biggest industry in the city of 120,000 is the University at Otago which accounts for 20,000 of the population..

Cheese mongers at Otago Farmers' Market

My introduction was the Saturday Otago Farmer's Market. Held outside of the imposing and ornate Edwardian Baroque-style Dunedin Railway Station, the urban market was a distinct contrast to the Hastings Farmers' Market on the North Island. Cheeses, berries and bakery goods were tempting, especially the Eccles cakes and egg custard tarts, but alas, lunch was pending.

Royal Doulton floor mosaic in the ornate railway station.

Dunedin Railway Station

Beet root burger

Tip: No steps other than curbs here.









Couldn't miss the Nova Cafe, an annual award winner, and its  burgers topped with beet root. It's also the only place in town to get gumbo (!) but I had to try those beet root burgers. OK but cheese is better.

Robbie Burns statue in the Octagon

First Presbyterian Church.

Across the street is the Octagon park, the city center, with its statue of poet Robert Burns. Around it are cafes, government buildings, a theater and St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral. A block over you'll find row houses, the city's first temple (now a museum), the headquarters for the ghost tour and down toward the bay, the impressive First Presbyterian Church.

Baldwin Street

Tip: It's flat but the streets rise from here. Case in point, Baldwin Street, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the steepest street in the world.












Also Worth a look in Dunedin:

Otago Museum

Otago Museum displays a fascinating collection of Maori and Pacific artifacts and cultural history as well as skeletal remains of the country's extinct wildlife.

Chinese Garden

Chinese Garden, a replica of a 17th century walled garden from the Ch'ing Dynasty, built, pre-assembled and reassembled by artisans from Shanghai as a gift to Dunedin, its Sister City.

Olveston House

Olveston House is a 35-room Edwardian treasure trove of memorabilia and lovely gardens.




Tip: You'll encounter stairs to the second floor at Olveston, a step or three at the Oriental Garden and an elevator at the museum.

View from St. Clair Beach Resort

Get a hint at what's to come when you head out on the peninsula and beyond by staying at the beautifully appointed St. Clair Beach Resort and its views of the South Pacific Ocean. Treat yourself, too, with a dinner in Pier 24, the resort's restaurant helmed by Chef Michael Coughlin. It's one of only six restaurants serving Silere Alpine-origin merino lamb.

Larnach Castle

As you head out to the peninsula, take the high road and give yourself several hours to savor Larnach Castle and its beautiful grounds. Built as a home - the locals dubbed it "the castle" as house became mansion - by Australian banker/entrepreneur William Larnach, the impressive structure commands fantastic views over Otago Bay. It took 200 men four years to complete.

Ceiling

One look at the intricate ceilings shows you why. The opulence did not give its residents much pleasure. Between wives that didn't like living on the isolated island, were unfaithful and/or died and grasping, ungrateful children, Larnach's fortunes  failed and he eventually killed himself.





Before he did he managed to obtain Buffalo Bill's desk, a second wife who was a drinker and a third wife who was a suffragette (New Zealand claims to be the first country to give women the vote).

Tip: There are 17 steps with railings up to the castle's entrance and handsome  winding stairway up to the second, bedroom floor and the third floor (I skipped this).

If it's meal or tea time, the cafe in what used to be the ballroom (ground level) is excellent. Note: Go to Food Afar - Recipes from a Travel Writer for the recipe for the Castle's scones. 

The grounds are spectacular and you'll want to spend time wandering through them.