Wed, Oct 29 Dunedin day2

Awoke to sun, the campsites had filled overnight. Coffee brewing, we showered, filled and emptied various tanks, and left in search of new adventures. Stopped at a local grocery store to get provisions, and headed downtown.

Yesterday was my adventure day…biking, steepest street, alcohol, so today was Denise’s turn. First stop…

Cadbury World (surprise, surprise)… a tour of the Chocolate factory.

We paid the cash, then a guide showed us around, first handing out hair nets and bags for samples.

Interesting, but a bit of a disappointment, no photos allowed, most of the machinery was fully enclosed for health and safety reasons, and we were kept behind a six foot wall of Plexiglas everywhere. The tour route wasn’t elevated, so even in interesting rooms all you could see was ten or twelve feet in, the guide seemingly rushed, not well laid out, and tailored toward smaller children, with a huge chocolate avalanche at the end. Got some free chocolate, though.

Saw this cool little retro themed car on the street, I have no idea what it is…




Next, out to the peninsula to see the castle.

Dunedin’s harbour is well protected by a long peninsula guarding it from the southern winds and seas. At it’s midpoint is New Zealand’s only castle, Larnach Castle. Built by a gold digger turned banker, the small castle sits overlooking the sea and the city. Until the 1960’s-70’s it was a ruin, crumbling apart, but it was bought and is currently being restored by a family who’ve made it their lives’ work.



No pics allowed inside, but the grounds and the tower are impressive….






The royal albatross colony on the tip of the peninsula was closed due to it being breeding season, so we turned back towards Dunedin,

The harbour….



then headed south.

The weather was intermittently sunny then heavy rain squalls would descend, only to have the winds die down and another glimpse of the sun would poke through the clouds. Over and over.

Front approaching…



We were rolling along the jagged coastline, no guardrails to keep you from having a very bad day if your attention lapsed. The traffic grew more and more sporadic, to the point where we didn’t see another human for over 30 minutes. Lots of sheep, however.

Decided to take a short dirt road to a waterfall vaunted as one of the most photographed on the south Island. We parked at the small clearing, talking the five minute walk down. Hmmm. Nice, but not superlative or memorable. I think they lied.



Continuing on, we crested each rise to yet another beautiful vista, trying hard to not let the constant rugged beauty become commonplace, but it’s hard not to become complacent when every turn reveals another photogenic scene.


I was getting tired of driving the constant up and downshifting, braking, and sawing the steering wheel to stay on the serpentine pavement getting tiresome. We crossed a long one way bridge into Papatowai, where there wasn’t much more than a few houses, a store, and a campground. Sold. We settled in, the sun and clouds still fighting for control as the winds tossed sheets of rain at us at impressive angles. Wild country, here far south on the south island. Denise went for a solo walk along the river/beach, earning a fancy new bruise in the process. I stayed in, reading and relaxing as the wine bottle got lighter and lighter.

Only two other vehicles in the whole site. We went to bed early. Goodnight.