It's beer O'Clock here in damp Dunedin. Left Queenstown in glorious sunshine along the southern shore of Lake Wakitipu, following the Invercargill road in preference to a third traverse of the Cromwell route. It was another glorious Kiwi road, hugging the shore of the lake and offering plenty of views as we headed south to Kingston.
Quite by accident we arrived 5 minutes before the departure of the Kingston Flyer. A busload of elderly train spotters had also just arrived and so while Tess grabbed coffee from the cosy cafeteria, I braved the 8 degree windy weather to snap photos and chat to some elderly former rail workers.
The Flyer left 10 minutes late and we did not catch it along its route, turning off the road to Invercargill at Lumsden to head for Gore, Balclutha and Dunedin. 300ks all up today.
It started to drizzle and cloud descended which changed our plans for the day. The Catlins are meant to be charming English countryside hills and the scenery was lovely but the weather did not warrant a slower journey with limited visibility so we sped on to lunch at Balclutha, named after the Clutha river I assume. An uninviting country town with an okay pub although my chicken and mushroom hotpot was too hot and a little tasteless as a result. Tess's chowder, on the other hand was excellent.
Shortly along the SH1 at Lake Waihola, we turned off for the scenic route along the coast. Climbing steep hills into the clouds we lost any view but soon descended onto a working port at Tairi Mouth and enjoyed the drive beside a windswept and uninviting surf until we reached the pretty town of Brighton - worth a visit in sunny weather.
Driving into downtown Dunedin at 2.30pm posed few traffic hassles (I love South Island's empty roads!) and we drove up the steep drive to our accommodation, serviced apartments overlooking the main drag and towards the harbour and Otago peninsula. Still looking new after 6 years, I can recommend them for those who like a kitchen, parking and modern facilities. Balcony has a view too.
To spare Tess embarrassment, I will not mention the little booking oversight that we encountered but it reminded me of the night we arrived in Jasper, BC only to finally check our internet booking was for the same town .... in Missouri! It's only money:)
More Photos soon.
As Promised
The Resident Cat
Again
En Route to Otago Peninsula, the famous station.
And Another
And a place to visit tonight.
- Posted using
Location:Queen St,Dunedin,New Zealand
No comments:
Post a Comment