Dunedin, New Zealand

Dunedin Railway Station

Dunedin, New Zealand’s oldest city, was established in 1848 by Scottish settlers who named the town after Edinburgh (Dunedin is its Celtic name).  Plans for the town and buildings for Dunedin were brought from Scotland in an attempt to duplicate Edinburgh.  Unfortunately, no one told the original planners that Dunedin is one of the hilliest towns on earth.  Dunedin is famous for three things, the first of which is the Dunedin Railway Station, the most photographed building in the country.  The second is Larnach Castle, the only Castle in New Zealand. Finally, there is Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world.  This road is about 400 metres long and has a 38% grade.  Baldwin Street hosts an annual race called the “gut buster”.  The record for the up-hill race is two minutes (are you listening Heather?).

Statue of Robbie Burns (and a bird)

 

Steep climbs everywhere

The Solstice was docked at Port Chalmers, about a 20 minute bus ride from Dunedin.  The port is very industrial, and logging appears to thrive here.  On the road to town the scenery was very lush and green.  In spite of the fact that it is summer here, in the southern part of New Zealand it can be chilly with the wind blowing from the open seas.  It is no wonder there are so many shops selling sumptuous woolen garments.  Unfortunately, the many yarn shops were closed because it was Sunday. 

 

 

One highlight of our Dunedin visit was to go to the Speight’s brewery, where the famous (and delicious) New Zealand beer originated.

Cheers!  and Happy New Year to All!

Melbourne and Back to New Zealand

After leaving Sydney, the Celebrity Solstice took us for a one day stop in Melbourne, a place we will be returning to on January 5 to start our last cruise on the Symphony.  While in Melbourne, John took a tour of the area which included a ride on the “Puffing Billy”, a narrow gauge train that is, for all the world, a replica of “Thomas the Train”, which takes trips through the hills above Melbourne.  There is, in fact, a Thomas the Train replica used on weekends for children’s trips.

Melbourne Skyline

Puffing Billy crossing a trestle bridge

 

We left Melbourne, and after two days at sea, arrived to cruise through three beautiful New Zealand fjords, or “Sounds” as they are known here.  The first, and most famous, is Milford Sound.  While an absolutely spectacular place, it is always wet here.  There is an annual rainfall of 7.5 metres (7,500,000 mm) ... that means that it is pretty much always raining.  If there is a day of sunshine, that constitutes a miracle and the date is recorded for posterity. The ethereal atmosphere, with hanging clouds and looming mountains, is a playground for artists and photographers, thus we were thrilled to spend the day in awe of this presentation of raw nature.

Entering Milford Sound

Lady Bowen Falls

Leaving Milford Sound

 

We then headed to Doubtful Sound, so named because Captain James Cook was apprehensive about entering the sound as he feared that he would not be able to get back out because of the wind patterns.  He never entered the sound ... thus it was called “Doubtful”.

Entering Doubtful Sound

Gail at Doubtful Sound

 

Our last trip was through Dusky Sound, a rather attractive area full of volcanic islands.  This is the sound that was entered by Captain Cook, and is still used by sailing ships, to take respite from the strong winds of the Tasman Sea.

After leaving the sounds, we traveled overnight to Dunedin, New Zealand ... the Edinburgh of the Southern Hemisphere.

Dolphins at play in Dusky Sound

Inside Dusky Sound

Leaving Dusky Sound