We both had a really good night last night as did Bertie! Going to bed before 10.00 is very healthy but we are both so tired being on the go all day.
The weather was not looking too good today with some light rain.
After breakfast we packed up, loaded the car and then went to tour the city.
We started with The Octagon and viewed the town hall and the cathedral but didn't go inside.
We walked down to "the most photographed building in NZ" the railway station! Which, although it is a lovely building, I am not sure they get as many tourists here as Auckland and who take photos of the Sky Tower. I feel a Wikapaedia moment coming on! It is very beautiful inside and out.
We saw the train for the Terali Gorge and thought we would do the trip but it had just left and the next one would be too late. So much to see and we can only fit in what we can unfortunately .
We then went to the new museum only opened in December last year. It is the Pioneer Museum and really very good so we spent a long time there.
We then went for a coffee to the place that makes "the best date scones in the world". The coffee was good but we both agreed we know two places in Tauranga/mount that do better.
Cadbury have a factory here and do a tour but as we have done the one in UK and I don't like the NZ Cadbury chocolate anyway, we gave it a miss.
We went to St Paul's Cathedral which was lovely and pretty much like an English cathedral.
You could be forgiven if you thought you were in Scotland or England here in Dunedin as there are so many typical buildings here.
We then went back and got into the car and drove to Baldwin Street, "the steepest residential street in the world". They seem to have a lot of the "best in the world" down here in the south!
It was very steep and we only went to look but ended up walking to the top and it is STEEP! We have a certificate to say we did it.
We then went to see the new all weather rugby stadium - the ice stadium - looks like a big greenhouse and is where the Highlanders play.
It was then off to the Otago Peninsula and Larnach Castle. We had a lovely drive out there along the lovely coast road around the harbour which then climbs up into the hills. Unfortunately, the weather was just like a misty day in the UK and we could easily have been in Scotland.
The castle was built by a wealthy, Scottish banker for his wife who had French noble ancestors. It is in a lovely spot and the gardens are the best I have seen in NZ even in the mist with limited views of the peninsula.
We then set off down to The Catlins which is part of the south coast that is famous for its natural beauty and many fossils and also the wildlife.
Our first place to visit was Nugget Head and after driving along some very narrow, gravel, scary roads we arrived in rain and mist and you cold not see very much at all so definitely no sea lions or penguins here. However, the beaches were beautiful and once again I wished we had more time.
We got back to the main road and as it was now late afternoon I decided the next town was where we had to stop as I had no idea where we would next find a motel.
Fortunately, in such a small town we did have a choice and opted for the Owaka Motel just across from the museum.
The owner is a very nice friendly lady and although she looks nothing like Jon's sister, Christine, we both said she reminded us of her even though she is blonde! She showed us to our unit which has seen better days but is very clean and we have free wi-fi hence the updated blogs!
She brought our milk round and some rhubarb muffins to have with our cup of tea. She gave us lots of information on where to go for dinner (a choice of three places!) and told me where we can visit tomorrow to see sea lions, blow holes and the waterfalls.
We sat for a while and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Holidays like this are nice as you don't need to dress for dinner so after a quick freshen up we were ready to go out.
We chose the bistro on the main road as the first choice was closed tonight and the other place looked like it was full of local noons making a lot of noise with their cars.
We had a good dinner, nothing fancy, but well cooked with lots of nice fresh vegetables and really well cooked. We finished with a shared Pavlova.
Back to our room, time to relax and then a coffee and bed.
So far Bertie is behaving again!
Not sure when I will get time to do more blogging but I have learnt a lot today as to how to transfer my notes to an email and then copy and paste them into my blog - impressed? Yes!!
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