Southern Traverse Tour Day 6: Free Time in Dunedin
Saturday 1/12: Te Anau > Dunedin + Walking Tour
I fit in a run along the lovely Lake Te Anau (bunnies near the trail!) before our 8am departure on an Inter City coach. Not much commentary this time or as many stops, and our one and only refreshment break wasn't until 11:30am at the Dunedin Airport. So odd to have a break at an airport, but the toilets were plentiful and the food options were pretty good.
We arrived in Dunedin around 12:45pm and got our taxi transfer to the Scenic Southern Cross. Our room was ready, so we unpacked a bit before heading out along Princes Street to the Octagon, the main area of the central city, to find the iSite for a 2pm City Heritage walking tour. We were the only two participants and were rewarded with a comprehensive and intriguing tour by Athol, who covered the history, current affairs, and some of the potential future of this beautiful little city. The tour ended at the impressive train station.
When we parted from Athol, we browsed the art gallery on the second floor of the station before retracing our steps to the Octagon to find an afternoon snack. Athol had recommended Nova, a spot right next to the Public Art Gallery. What a great find! Coffee and "toasts" with pb&j for me, tea and the amazing "injectable donut" for Mr. E.
After our refreshment, we parted ways to do some shopping and errands on the way back to our hotel. Then it was time for me to do finances and journal/blog updates while Mr. E started laundry and went out for a job, picking up some Pegasus Bay wine on his way back. I enjoyed my takeaway sushi for dinner, and Mr. E had a bao down in the hotel bar in between loads of laundry. Yoga and a slightly later bedtime since tomorrow morning is more free time on our own.
We were really taken with Dunedin, in a similar way to how we felt about Wellington the first time we visited six years ago. Dunedin is the 7th largest city in NZ, with a population hovering near 130,000. Our visit occurred during the university break or else we would have gotten a sense of what the city feels like with the 20,000 students and full 5,000ish faculty and staff at the University of Otago, which plays a large role in the life of the city. Dunedin has a large harbour that is largely still industrial and mostly cut off from the rest of the city, but plans are in the works to make changes to link the water back to the city and animate that area for residents and visitors alike.
The day we arrived was sunny and beautiful, but very windy, similar again to Wellington. And we also noticed quite a bit of public art, including murals, along with a lively coffee culture and a growing craft beer scene. We definitely want to return to see how the city evolves and enjoy some of the other offerings that we didn't have time for during this tour.
I fit in a run along the lovely Lake Te Anau (bunnies near the trail!) before our 8am departure on an Inter City coach. Not much commentary this time or as many stops, and our one and only refreshment break wasn't until 11:30am at the Dunedin Airport. So odd to have a break at an airport, but the toilets were plentiful and the food options were pretty good.
We arrived in Dunedin around 12:45pm and got our taxi transfer to the Scenic Southern Cross. Our room was ready, so we unpacked a bit before heading out along Princes Street to the Octagon, the main area of the central city, to find the iSite for a 2pm City Heritage walking tour. We were the only two participants and were rewarded with a comprehensive and intriguing tour by Athol, who covered the history, current affairs, and some of the potential future of this beautiful little city. The tour ended at the impressive train station.
After our refreshment, we parted ways to do some shopping and errands on the way back to our hotel. Then it was time for me to do finances and journal/blog updates while Mr. E started laundry and went out for a job, picking up some Pegasus Bay wine on his way back. I enjoyed my takeaway sushi for dinner, and Mr. E had a bao down in the hotel bar in between loads of laundry. Yoga and a slightly later bedtime since tomorrow morning is more free time on our own.
We were really taken with Dunedin, in a similar way to how we felt about Wellington the first time we visited six years ago. Dunedin is the 7th largest city in NZ, with a population hovering near 130,000. Our visit occurred during the university break or else we would have gotten a sense of what the city feels like with the 20,000 students and full 5,000ish faculty and staff at the University of Otago, which plays a large role in the life of the city. Dunedin has a large harbour that is largely still industrial and mostly cut off from the rest of the city, but plans are in the works to make changes to link the water back to the city and animate that area for residents and visitors alike.
The day we arrived was sunny and beautiful, but very windy, similar again to Wellington. And we also noticed quite a bit of public art, including murals, along with a lively coffee culture and a growing craft beer scene. We definitely want to return to see how the city evolves and enjoy some of the other offerings that we didn't have time for during this tour.
posted by jms | 12:07 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home