Dunedin - Scotland of the South

As we drove down the steep and winding road into Dunedin, I felt sure that the scenery around us was pretty impressive, unfortunately the weather was so bad that we could barely see a few yards in front of us, as the rain lashed onto the windscreen. We had indeed arrived at New Zealand's 'Scottish City'. Dunedin is actually the Maori word for Edinburgh.

A Very Forlorn and Freezing Figure

Upon checking into Stafford Gables YHA we were informed that we would be sleeping in the 'Jean Nelson' room - named after the 'entity' which reputedly haunts the 100-year-old building. I was so scared that I had to be bullied into walking around the rickety old corridors alone, especially at night!

We spent our first rainy afternoon in Dunedin exploring the city centre which is built around the 'Octagon' - a mini ring road housing a number of cafes, bars and shops. Although smaller than Christchurch, Dunedin seems to have a bit more of a 'buzz' about it and despite the rain there was still a good atmosphere. Increasingly poorly attired for the weather, Dan wasted no time in getting himself kitted out with a much needed windbreaker and hiking boots.

In the Blue Corner...

The following afternoon, when the rain had stopped, we drove out to the extremely beautiful Otago Peninsula. As I marvelled at the scenery, Dan kept reminding me to keep my eyes on the road which resembled a roller coaster. Incredibly steep gradients and hairpin bends needeed to be negotiated every couple of kilometres. Our destination was 'Penguin Place' a yellow-eyed penguin reserve which is open to the public. After a brief talk about the rare bird we were taken down to the shore front where an impressive system of trenches and viewing areas had been dug into the cliff-side. Unfortunately though we only saw about five penguins in total; three of whom were huddled inside their little shelters (I don't blame them, it was freezing) and the other two could only be viewed way in the distance and to me were just black and white blobs! Those in the party who had binoculars seemed a little more impressed, in fact I was surprised at just how excited they got when the 'blob' moved! (I must admit that Dan and I felt slightly out of place amongst these would-be Bill Oddies!). I'm sorry to say that for me the most entertaining part of the trip was when Dan pointed out just how much our little guide resembled a penguin himself - he was absolutley right.

One of the Penguins We DID see

Once we'd thawed out back at the hostel, we donned our rugby gear and headed into town. After a quick meal (we didn't want to miss any of the build-up), we got the drinks in at the Terrace Bar in the Octagon, which had been recommended to us by quite a few people. A normal bar at first glance, when we rounded the corner there was a huge room housing a massive screen with terraced seats arranged around it. Dan and I arrived in just enough time to secure some good seats mid-way up in the middle section and settled in to enjoy the evening's entertainment. You all know the story from there, suffice it to say that we had a fantastic night - the atmosphere was electric, the beers were flowing and our voices were hoarse from screaming at the screen. What a match - you couldn't have written a better script. Drunk on the atmosphere alone (well okay, one or two beers) we danced well in to the night once the rugby had finished.

Rabbie and Andrea at the Cathedral

Funnily enough we did very little the next day - I did try and get out of bed around midday, but my pounding head and dodgy stomach dictated that I simply went straight back under the covers! In our fragile states we did little more than have an evening meal and an early night.

The following morning, we watched 'The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers' on video. Dan was keen to see it so that we can go to the cinema to see the new film when it's released. It's not really my type of film but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the spectacular scenery.

Having been couped up in the hostel for much of our stay in Dunedin, we decided to get out into the fresh air (and I mean fresh!) and drove out to the Otago Peninsula again. Our first port of call was Sandfly Bay where we had heard that penguins can sometimes be spotted emerging from the sea. It was so windy and bitterly cold once we got out of the car that we lasted about ten minutes before rushing back to shelter. We drove a bit further along the peninsula and then braved the elements as we did a couple of the walking tracks. The first took us to 'The Chasm' and then on to 'Lovers Leap'. Although they were both impressive rock formations carved by the sea, we didn't hang around too long to admire them as we were scared we might be blown off the cliff! We continued our drive around 'Hoopers Inlet' and on to the pretty little village of Portobello. As we completed the return journey, we were treated to some fantastic aerial views of Dunedin as dusk fell.

Through the Trees to Lovers Leap

Andrea and Dan