The reunion in/with Dunedin

So quickly I was back in a place where I had said goodbye forever 2 1/2 years ago. I couldn't believe it. It was a strange feeling to be back in the house where I lived for 2 months back then. But I was also very happy to be back there and to have nice people around me. That's something special and then there's the view too;).

So we arrived at the Leahys' (my host family) in Dunedin. They have a house on the Otago Peninsula, which offers a fantastic view of the water. It was agreed that we could stay here for a few days. A great offer for both of us, of course. Once again, a real house, a cozy bed, a warm shower, and a proper kitchen. We're taking advantage of all of this quite a bit.

On our first day in Dunedin, we planned to visit the Sewells (Niklas' host family). We spent the entire afternoon there. In the evening, we had dinner with my former host mother because the entire Leahy family was flying to Australia the next day and leaving us the house. We spent a very nice and long evening together. We had a lot to catch up on after three years.

The next morning, the family went to the airport and we were alone for a week. We spent the day relaxing at the Leahys' house, where I also wrote my last blog article:).

For Thursday, which was our third day in Dunedin, we had an appointment at a workshop to check what repairs needed to be done. We used this time without a car for a sightseeing tour of Dunedin.

We continued our tour while the van got four new tires at a tire service in Dunedin. After getting the van back from the tire service, we drove to the Forsyth Barr Stadium (rugby stadium in Dunedin), the John McGlashan College (our former exchange school), and the Sandfly Beach (a large, long beach where you can usually see penguins, but we had no luck that day). In the evening, we returned to the Leahys' house.

We had planned another tour for Friday. But first, we went back to the city at noon because we both wanted to buy a jersey from the local rugby team. After that, we drove along the harbor basin out of the city. There, we briefly looked at the Dunedin harbor, Port Chalmers, and then continued to the end of the harbor, where there is a mole. From there, you have a great panoramic view because you are in the middle of the harbor entrance. On this day, like the last few days, it was almost 30°C and sunny, so we decided to go swimming in the ocean for the first time. It was extremely cold and just about bearable for swimming. We liked the beach so much that we spent the rest of the day there in the sun and in the ocean.

There are so many beautiful places around Dunedin, so on Saturday we set off again. This time, the exploration of the peninsula was on the agenda. As the first stop, we visited the Albatross Colony at the tip of the peninsula, but unfortunately only from the outside because the entrance fee was too expensive for both of us. But we had already seen albatrosses in the colony during our last visit to Dunedin. Throughout the day, we continued our drive through the nature of the peninsula, passing various bays and enjoying great views. We ended up at Okia Flat (a completely flat plain on the hilly peninsula), Cap Saunders (the eastern end of the peninsula), and a Maori church.

We saved Tunnel Beach for Sunday. It is a rock formation with a hole that serves as a tunnel for seawater. Another tunnel leads from the rock formation to a small beach. You can reach the beach on foot through this tunnel. But it is too dangerous for swimming there due to the rocks. However, since we had to be in town at eight o'clock the next morning to drop off the car at the workshop, we left for home in time.

On Monday and Tuesday, we no longer had a car and spent these two days very relaxed at the Leahys' house, enjoying some sun, peace, and plenty of free time.

The free time was important to both of us because we planned to start working on Thursday. We laid the groundwork for this by submitting various applications on our two free days. I'll tell you when we start working, where, and what our jobs will be in the next post.

Until then,

Your Luca