Big things

The rain  had set in over Dunedin late last night. It was thunder and lighting kind of rain and this Allie commented this morning that as we were leaving, we could take our weather back with us - they are not used to this 'tropical climate'.  Lol - if only she knew that this was really nothing like we get at home!

It's been an enjoyable stay at The Brothers and Allie now predominantly runs the boutique hotel on her own.  Her father spent 14 years restoring and renovating the building and establishing the business.  These days he only comes down when she really needs a hand - like tomorrow when she has to do breakfasts for 28 people!

We head out of the hotel and down the steep one way street into the Dunedin centre and then turn north towards Oamaru and the beach at Moeraki.  We are travelling through rain and mist for the length of the journey.  Inconvenient but not at all cold.  As we are on the Highway 1 heading in the general direction of Christchurch, the traffic is much heavier with everyday commuters and delivery trucks than travellers.  And they are all in a hurry - as though their work cannot wait.  Oh, and the occasional pedestrian on a very long walk, a strange sight on a day like today.

Ooh, a cheese factory - we dart into a small side street to visit the Evansdale Cheese Factory - a small independent operation and come away with two cheeses - smoked brie and sage cheddar.

We are travelling back through the mountains as they come down to meet the sea, which is broiling angrily today - passing through Palmerston (funny, I always thought it as a bigger town), then Bushy and then Shag Point before turning off to the beach at Moeraki.  At this beach, we (well Michael, while I looked from the car-park, because it is still raining lightly) visit the Moeraki Boulders.  These siltstone rocks are unique in their weathering.  The closest thing that I can compare them to are huge thunder eggs.

They vary in size from a rockmelon through to ones larger than a man - Michael's hat gives some perspective and his video really demonstrates their location well.  I love the ones that have been weathered by the constant forces of water and wind until they have broken apart.  Some of them are covered in tiny razor-sharp barnacles.

Then we are back on the road heading north to Oamaru.  Although the town only has a population of 13,900, its CBD is much larger than Maryborough's and along the entire length the main street is lined with flower filled hanging baskets - they provide colour and made the town feel very inviting and cheerful.  There are some impressive neo-classical buildings, but as we still have a way to go, we decide to have a quick look as we drive through.  

As we head north through town - ooh - another cheese factory!  This is the Whitestone Cheese Factory - much larger and with an established export market.  we try a sampler plate and they have some really delicious cheeses including a very smooth blue cheese that I can try as there are bands without the 'blue bits' in it - yum yum yum.

Allie has told us of a wonderful restaurant to pop in to for lunch.  
Riverstone Kitchen is about 15 kms north of the town.  In fact, it sits out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by farmlands.  Their gardens are filled with everything BIG. Big cosmos, big zucchini (and the zucchini flowers), big (HUGE) mushrooms the size of a dinner plate, big melons and some of the biggest pumpkin I have seen.  "It's the cow shit" explains the farmer laconically who is trimming stalks the size of bananas from the mushrooms!

There are plenty of people here and we need to wait for 15 minutes for a table.  There are people at a table adjacent who are having their dessert and it looks fabulous - gooseberry + blackcurrant shortcake with vanilla bean ice cream I am told when I asked.  The menu is simple and uncluttered and there are a couple of additional daily specials.  After forever to consider, we choose (Michael) beer-battered fish (sole) + chips with salad greens, tartare sauce, lemon + fresh herb while I chose Havoc pork with wet polenta, roast baby carrots, wilted greens + oregano oil.

Now, this meal was one of the highlights of our New Zealand food journey.  The polenta must have been cooked slowly, like the pork. And who would have thought to pair it with Oregano - it worked so well.  Michael's fish was delicious - the batter was light and complemented the pure white flesh it enclosed and the tartare sauce was to-die-for.
Normally we would bypass dessert, but not this time! Lemon Meringue with Blackcurrant Ice-cream and Michael had the Toffee-apple Crumble with Caramel Sauce with Zabaglione Ice-cream.  Both were amazing.  We finished with coffee and bought one (and only one) of their savoury scones to have for dinner as we knew that we would not want much.

Truly amazing and I am sending a message to Allie to thank her for the recommendation!

Once replete, we get back in to the car to finish our journey to Fairlie - back into the high mountains and the closest accommodation that we could get to Lake Tepako where Michael is hoping to take a flight over the Glaciers tomorrow.  He received a phone call from the company while we were travelling asking us to phone in about 8:15 am.  The cloud cover is very dense and covers a wide band of the skies today and if it does not clear, the flight just might be in jeopardy - egads!

We have a two bedroom unit at the motel here in Fairlie.  Tiny bathroom, but functional kitchen included.  I have sorted through the brochures that I want to bring home and safely packed the souvenirs.

And as a special treat, I tried to upload a  video Michael took of the Moeraki Boulders - but the file is too big - I'll give it a go on my Facebook page! 

The Land of the Long White Cloud

Well, we have witnessed and spoken about New Zealand's fame as the land of the long white cloud many times over the last two weeks. This title has its beginnings in the lore of the Maori and today, we found out first hand that the long white cloud originates in Dunedin.

The morning is damp and darker - the fog lingers,  We began with breakfast shared in the dining room with our fellow guests.  It is Sunday and everything is at as lightly slower pace.  Breakfast starts 30 minutes later and there is less hubbub and rush.  

We take the advice of Stuart last night and head up Signal Hill.  Wow, what a wonder this is.  The fog is burning off quickly and the morning is growing warmer and brighter.  The air as we climb into the hills is crisp and clear and is filled with the scent of the pine trees and grassy meadows with a slight undertone of the salt air coming in from the sea.
Once we reach Signal Hill, passing a number of people walking up, and one keen runner, we find a stunning monument and gorgeous views.  The monument links Edinburgh in Scotland and Dunedin, which has had a large number of Scottish immigrants.
The monument and the figures on either end of the landmark represent 'History' and 'the Thread of Life'.

The view takes in from the Otago Peninsula where we are headed today right across Dunedin from Port Chalmers to the hills behind.  You can see the fog burning off in the photo above, and you can also clearly see the long white cloud that sits firmly blanketing the city after the fog.

The road back into the City is very steep and we need to drive down with one foot firmly on the brake.  So we figure that the next spot to visit is Baldwin Street - listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's steepest residential street at a 35% slope!  Even I am not going to drive down that one.  Just after Michael takes his photo, a local hoon turns into Baldwin Street at the top and roars down the road, scattering the tourists who are busy standing in the street taking photos.  He thinks he is funny.  Will be singing a different tune the day his brakes fail.  Idiot.

From here we head over to the Peninsula.  As we drive over, we realise that the long white cloud is coming in from the sea.  It travels silently across the water, finger-like into the bays and inlets, keeping a long, low profile until it hits an island in the Bay where it rises like a bulbous mass before again settling into its long low profile on the other side.

The bay alternates between being shrouded in the mysterious dampness that comes with the low cloud, and bright sparkling summer waters complete with sunshine glittering and small boats at play.  It is totally captivating and Michael who one minute says "enough Bay photos" and before the day is through, maxes out the storage on the camera and on his phone! The easiest way is to show you!

We drove the entire length of the Otago Peninsula and finished up at the Royal Albatross  Centre.  Michael took a walk down the path to the signed lookout, but there are no albatross to be seen - just a fur seal surfing the waves.  Up at the Information Centre,we are told that the Albatross are nesting in the cliffs behind the centre and can only be seen on a guided walk.  The tickets are normally $50 per person (yep 50!) but because there is only one albatross and a chick at the moment, the tickets are discounted to $35.  We decide that the cost is actually too expensive for what you get and opt to just explore the information room which is very good, and free.

Once fortified with a coffee and a shortbread, we head off again, past lots of small fishing shacks, a fisherman getting his cray pots ready and a lady putting up a paling fence.  Our next visit will take the rest of the afternoon - Lanarch Castle. This was another of the 'must-sees' that everyone had told us about.

New Zealand's only castle, it is actually a manor house built by an Australian.  Our first activity was to have some lunch in the Ballroom Cafe - it has gone past 2 pm - no wonder we are hungry.  I have a Ploughman's Plate and Michael has the Squid Ink Pasta.

Our hunger sufficiently sated, we enter the hallowed halls of this imposing home. The first impression one experiences is the wooden paneling and carvings made from mahogany, walnut and rosewood. The capital which has been injected into the castle's restoration over the past 50 years is unimaginable. The entry tickets we purchased had given us access into the main building and the gardens.

Entry into the dwelling is by way the main foyer with its magnificent tiled floor, and from a simple lesson in navigating the manor by the directions on the information pamphlet provided. Taking the stairs leading down to the ground floor, gun room and reception room. In the reception room, visitors are presented with an audio/visual on the history of the manor and the current owners' work in progress in restoring the building and grounds.


Every window contains a proportion of coloured glass which is also found in the pantry windows! From the conservatory through to every room, all have been faithfully restored to its original splendour. The central staircase is a sight to behold, as are the views from atop the main tower. The view from the tower is a panoramic 360 degrees which gives the visitor an outstanding appreciation of the gardens.


The gardens! Now, for those devotees of Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carrolls' masterpieces, "Alice Through The Looking Glass" and "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland", these gardens are for you.

Off with their heads!

As with exploring the manor house, the same applies to the gardens - map. If a visitor follows the directions faithfully, they are taken into Alice's world: the Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and others....of course our heroine, Alice herself.

I've got a good idea...let's change the subject!

As the afternoon was galloping, we decided it was time to push on as our laundry washing was calling and as was good coffee. However, we had intended to stop at a cafe called '1908' on the way back to Dunedin which did not eventuate. We were on the return journey when we realised that 1908 was 14 km in the direction from where we came! Ces la vie! We pushed on to our rendezvous with the laundromat. 


Two hours later, the clothes washing done-and-dusted, we drove into Dunedin city centre  and had a wonderful dinner at a Japanese restaurant called "Tokyo Garden". We started with a complimentary Miso soup followed by our mains: Maria- Karaage Chicken Bento; Michael - Teriyaki Beef Bento. Yummmmm!

Pleasantly satisfied with our meals and feeling somewhat weary after another full day, we made our way to The Brothers - in the rain. The expected downpour finally arrived . . . two days late.

Upon our return to the hotel, we met a male couple who arrived at the same time as us. They introduced themselves as Rob and Robert who hale from Bournemouth, UK. They weren't expecting to arrive due to the intense snow fronts affecting the UK at present. So, after a chat and providing them with a few hints of what to see and how to get around Dunedin, we bade them a good night.

To you good friends....

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended,
That you have slumbered here
While these visions did appear.....
.....
So, good night unto you all
Give me your hands if we be friends
And Robin shall restore amends.

Dunedin - a city for all tastes

Another foggy morning, but by 9:30 am the sun is burning it off.  We are high on a hill with the Catholic Church directly opposite- funny about that - the Mick's always seemed to manage to snaffle the best high spots in towns - perhaps 'nearer my god to thee?!!

First stop of the day - Cadbury World!  Our guide for the morning is Christie who is definitely on some kind of upper.  For the sixteen of us she is hyped and happy and high on chocolate.  Everything she says and does has a bubbly 'high five' feel about it.  She leads us through the process of turning cacao to cocoa and then to chocolate including filling our goody bags with all things chocolate. We go through the 'breakfast room' where we can help ourselves to liquid chocolate, adding such things as pretzels, coconut, sprinkles, popcorn and oreo bits. Not really my idea of breakfast but for some of them - wow!

We climb halfway up one of the storage silos (the purple one) and watch one tonne of liquid chocolate fall from a height further up down to the base of the silo!


Near the end of the tour we learn that the factory in Dunedin will close in three months.  I wonder whether this will be her downer?  But no, she is very philosophical about it.

After finishing our visit to the Chocolate caverns with a coffee, we set out to find some of the amazing Street Art that Dunedin is known for.  

We find the first dozen or so pieces and then realise that we are within a cooee of the Chinese Garden and take a detour from the hot summer sun into the serene coolness of the garden.  This is a sanctuary in the city - a green space in the concrete and brick and bitumen!

As we move through the gardens with the wind moving through the willow trees, we spy the Tea House and sit down for a Rose tea (Michael) and a peppermint tea for me.  Coupled them with a selection of buns and dumplings - just a very light snack.  The teas were just what we needed!

From here we head over to the stunning Dunedin Railway Station that everyone had told us to make sure we checked out. This building is a homage to a bygone era of grace and beauty.  

The entire main entrance is tiled, from the small mosaic tiles on the floor to amazing vitreous ceramic tiles on the walls.  There are 3D tile surrounds to the ticket windows and across the top of the ground floor under the mezzanine floor with its cast iron balustrade and stunning stained glass windows.  

Designed by George Troup and opened in 1906, it demonstrates a commitment to quality and pride in workmanship - stunningly beautiful, there are no other words to use.

We visit the Art exhibition upstairs where we have missed out on buying a Green Man art piece (but I have a contact for the artist) and buy a stunning had painted silk scarf for half the price of any other one we have seen in NZ!  Winner!

As the day is closing fast, we head to Toitu - Otago Settlers Museum.  Sited between the railway and the Chinese Garden in a re-purposed warehouse with a stunning new entry building added.  

The people of NZ know how to do a museum.  The layout, the connections and the collections are stunning with enough hands on and interactive displays that mean that the non-touch displays are easily protected. We end up with only about 90 minutes to explore a space that you could spend a day in.  

There are lots of story-telling from the Maori, white settlers and the Chinese perspectives.  The displays take you from the arrival of the Polynesians right through to the new technologies of today and everything in between.

After the Museum closes at 5 pm, we hit the streets to find some more examples of the street art before we stop for some early dinner at a pub chain CBK where I was offered a Plum Cider by Stuart - wasn't too sure I would like it, so he gave me a tot to taste.  Man - move over apple - this Plum Cider by Good George Brewing has plenty of tart and plenty of flavour and none of the over-sweetness of many of the new fruit ciders.

 Michael has a Seafood Chowder and I settle in with Steamed Bao Buns - one each with smoked beef, fish and spicy chicken. Delish.  And Stuart has given us the premium address to view Dunedin from on high for a great view day and night - we'll check it out tomorrow.

And as we arrive back at our accommodation, something wicked this way comes - another sea fog is creeping very quickly, very silently in from the coast. 

The Fog

As we slept, a dense sea fog crept in over the land casting a shadow so that in the early morning, it still felt like night. It was reluctant to lift, and as we left at 7:30 to head

back to the Cathedral Cave, it still blanketed the ground as though to encourage everyone to stay put under the covers. Despite the damp, the air is warm and balmy.

And still the Long White Cloud can be seen - out in competition with that stubborn fog!

There is quite a bit of traffic as we leave - some local and others obviously tourists in their campervans and Jucy vans. The locals drive like race drivers around winding corners as I watch with my heart in my throat and think of the terrible job that Steve Webb has to do with the Forensic Crash Unit back home (and after reading about another terrible crash back home).

The drive down to the Cathedral Caves is uneventful and takes about an hour.  We had checked the opening times as we came back to Balclutha yesterday after being told that they access is only open for a total of 3 - 4 hours.  The caves are accessed through private Maori land along a 2 km road that is slick from the night's moisture. There are a few cars ahead of us in the carpark when we arrive, but there is still plenty of parking. The attendant on duty is chatty and full of news and good advice.  The path down to the Caves is through wet forest and steep.  Part way down, Michael goes back to get the walking posts - don't know why we didn't think of them at the start.  It is steep and I am about 3/4 of the way down when it the path gets much steeper, thicker with leaves and wetter with both sea-spray and the moisture from the forest.  Knowing that a fall here would be dramatic, I opt not to continue and turn to head up the path.  Michael continues to the beach and the Caves. He tells me later that although I could see the beach, there was still quite a distance until he reached it and about another 300 m to the Caves which were also very wet and muddy.

The Caves began as separate and later the force of the
waves broke through the final soft barrier between them to create one V shaped cave. The Cathedral Caves are in the 30 largest beach caves in the world. Because the force of the water lessens as the cave deepens, they do not grow much beyond what is found here at the Cathedral Caves at just under 200 m.  They look truly amazing!

We finish at the Caves, seeing more people still arriving after 10 am (access to the Caves closes at 10:30 and the road gate is locked at 11:30 am) You would need to be mighty fit to get down and back in that timeframe!

Following our morning jaunt, we head 5 minutes down the road back to the Whistling Frog for breakfast - bacon and eggs for Michael and Pancakes, berries and spiced marscapone for me - yummo!

Yesterday we struck the sheep on the road.  Today it is a horse ride. There were 30 riders and we came across them just as we came over a single lane bridge.  There would have been quite a wait had they reached the bridge before us!

All in all, an interesting morning.  And still the fog persists!!

En-route to Dunedin we stopped at the historic rail tunnel constructed for the former Catlins River Branch.  Much shorter than the Boolboonda Tunnel back home, but this one constructed in the 1890's was hand dug and then lined with sandstone blocks - back breaking work I imagine.

Then we drove the last 90 kms to Dunedin without stop. The landscape continues to be a mix of rolling hills, farmed foothills and floodplains and estuaries that meander across the flats.  Our first view of Dunedin demonstrates what we already know - it is a city that lies in the hills.  We have two days here and we know that won't be enough, but our time is running short!  

Staying at 'The Brothers', which has a history as a Christian Brothers Order residence for up to 13 brothers.  The stately residence was built in the early 1920's in the area known as the 'Vatican' district.  The rooms are smallish, but no doubt far more comfortable than those of their day!  (PS the rooms featured on their website must be special ones - they ain't ours!)  We have one of the brother's cells!


Dunedin is known for many things - its street art is one - and Cadburys where we will start our day tomorrow!  Others we will talk about tomorrow.


















Tonight we dine like Persian Kings at Paasha Turkish Restaurant.  When we got there at 7:40 pm, there was literally just enough room for us left.  Busy and loud and very eastern.  By 9 pm when we left there was just one other table of 3 recently arrived.  We complimented the staff on the cooking and service which were both wonderful. Took away leftover Kofta Shish, some pita breads and a tub of one of the best hummus I have ever tasted!  Of course we ate a Meze plate for starters, a Shared Platter and then Baklava and coffee.  Now I am soooo full!

Finally, today is a day to be reminded of friends from home!

Tomorrow is another day . . .