After the Rail Trail: Finale in Dunedin
With less than a day before we had to return home (sigh) it was a case of ripping around just a few places in Dunedin. A tricky ask, since it was my first proper visit to the city. Fast and furious is often our style though, so we set off…
St Clair
We stayed in the coastal suburb of St Clair and since it was already early evening, we made a beeline to the beach for a walk.
The sky and red tint picked up by setting sun resulted from the devastating Black Saturday bush fires in Victoria, Australia
Remains of an old breakwater used to help protect the beach from erosion
On first glance, a decent looking pedestrian pier… in reality this was a temporary pier constructed for a sewage pipeline project! Nice. It’s long gone now
Aramoana
First priority the next day was a 40 or so minute drive along the northern edge of Otago Habour to Aramoana.
A small settlement with only a couple hundred or so permanent residents, this nevertheless is a very well known place in NZ – for a very sad reason.
Driving around quiet little Aramoana, part of the Heyward Point hills looming behind
Aramoana (‘pathway to the sea’) was established to aid navigation into Otago Harbour. Later a breakwater over 1km long was constructed to stop sand encroachment. Its isolated coastal position made it a candidate site for an aluminium smelter but fortunately this 1970s project did not get a green light.
Exploring the breakwater, aka mole
Looking across Otago Harbour to Tairoa Head, home to an albatross colony
Today the place has a natural beauty about it, though on this day it felt a bit desolate. The weather and absence of other people were mainly attributable and the resulting mood fitted the main idea of Aramoana that we were familiar with.
In 1990 a local man shot and killed 13 people and left three more wounded. The Aramoana massacre stands as NZ’s most deadly criminal shooting. May that record never be beaten.
Mike and I had seen the excellent movie depicting this event, Out of the Blue, and felt compelled to pay a brief visit on this trip.
Only in-car shots driving around as we didn’t want to be blatantly on the hunt for places related to the shootings
Port Chalmers
By now refreshments were needed and duly procured at Careys Bay Hotel, in a quiet and historic bay not far from Port Chalmers.
Careys Bay, once a busy fishing port, a bit quieter now
Careys Bay
We stopped for a walkabout at Port Chalmers, home to Port Otago.
Interesting facts: NZ’s first ever export shipment left from here in 1882, and Robert Falcon Scott stopped by here on his last fateful trip to Antarctica.
Port Chalmers from above
Otago Harbour
Baldwin Street
When it comes to heights I’m a wuss. You’ll not find bungy jumping or sky diving anywhere on my to do list. Nevertheless we were intrigued to go and find the world’s steepest residential street.
The photos are rubbish as I was not the most relaxed person in the world for this activity, the drizzly weather not helping matters. The photos also don’t give a true indication of the gradient, which at its maximum is 35% or 19 degrees.
Cue visions of little rental car losing traction… slipping out of control backwards down the hill… crashing… fireball…
But we made it.
Going up: tense…
…going down: more tense!
We also took a drive out to Tairoa Head, as seen from Aramoana earlier in the day, though we didn’t have enough time to visit the Royal Albatross Centre. It is of great interest – as well as large birds, there’s also a fort to look through – so it will be a priority on our next trip.
The central city also received a quick visit from us, too quick for photos maybe as strangely it doesn’t look like I took any.
So there’s unfinished business in Dunedin, and plenty not yet discovered. Not sure when we’ll get back but we have to at some point.
And there we are – a great end to an excellent week.
tall tales 